Global Push for IEC 61850 - The vPAC Alliance for Virtual Protection Automation and Control

IEC 61850 is one of the crucial core components of the architecture of the Virtual Protection Automation and Control (vPAC) Alliance: "Driving standards-based, open, interoperable, and secure software-defined architecture to host protection, automation, and control solutions for power system substations." 

As of the membership list I accessed today 23 well known companies are involved in the alliance: ABB, Advantec, AEP, Black&Veatch, Crystal, Dell Technologies, ... SCE, ... Intel, ... Omicron, Phoenix Contact, Schneider Electric, Siemens Energy, ... 

This kind of alliances will make a chance in how to protect, automate, control, and supervise power systems ... and other system where power is a crucial factor ... like in factories, buildings, ... airports, ...

"A key plays the "virtual protection relay (VPR) concept [pdf document] – an architecture where software defined and virtualized platforms are deployed to host the critical circuit protection functions for an advanced and agile grid. ... 

Standard models of various protection functions were devised for possible interoperability between protection IEDs from any vendor. Standards were prepared for data exchange between devices (station bus) and current/voltage information from field (process bus). Acceptance of the IEC 61850 standards worldwide have resulted in station level and process level communication networks for exchange of digitized raw values (using Sampled Values, or SV, protocol) and processed values/information across the substation devices and beyond the substation to centralized monitoring systems. ..."

It is interesting that it took some 40 years from the definition of Virtual Manufacturing Devices (VMD) in ISO 9506 (MMS, Manufacturing Message Specification) until such a big alliance has the term "virtual" in its name! I have demonstrated on and on since the 80s that this is the future ... 

MMS defines Virtual Manufacturing Devices in clause 6 of part ISO 9506-1 as follows:

I have found in the automation domain that only a few engineers understand abstraction and virtualization. The following wise saying may help ... try it:

If it's there and you can see it It's REAL
If it's there and you can't see it It's TRANSPARENT
If it's not there and you can see it It's VIRTUAL
If it's not there and you can't see it It's GONE
Roy Wills

IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25 (Windpower), and IEC 60870-6 (TASE.2/ICCP) use MMS and the concepts of abstraction and virtualization ... I had a chance to describe these crucial basic concepts as editor of the first edition of IEC 61850-7-1 (Basic communication structure – Principles and models) ... here is what I have written ... some 20 years ago ... still in the current edition:

" ... The IEC 61850 series defines the information and information exchange in a way that it is independent of a concrete implementation (i.e., it uses abstract models). The standard also uses the concept of virtualisation. Virtualisation provides a view of those aspects of a real device that are of interest for the information exchange with other devices. Only those details that are required to provide interoperability of devices are defined in the IEC 61850 series. ..." 

I still like it.

It is great to see that this concept (defined in the 80s) is in the core of future protection, automation, and SCADA ... 

Let me know what you thing ... you find me on LinkedIn as well.

Good luck!

IXXAT (HMS) Offers New POWERFUL Smart Grid Gateways for IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5, Profibus and more

Under the IXXAT brand, HMS delivers connectivity solutions for embedded control, energy, safety and automotive testing.
The new and very powerful IIoT gateways from HMS allow industrial equipment to communicate with power grids based on IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850. In addition they also include Modbus TCP Client/Server and Modbus RTU Master/Slave


IXXAT SG-gateways...

• enable easy remote control and management of electrical systems
• allow to log and display application data and energy consumption
• provide IEC 61850 client/server and IEC 60870-5-104 server support
• have in-built Modbus TCP Client/Server and Modbus RTU Master/Slave interfaces
• provide connectivity for CAN Bus, I/O, M-Bus, PROFIBUS, PROFINET and EtherNet/IP based devices

Click HERE for more details in English
Hier klicken für Details in Deutsch

IEC 61850 in VHPready 4.0

The Industry Alliance VHPready e.V. publishes version 4.0 of the industry standard VHPready for controlling and interconnecting decentralized energy systems to virtual power plants.

A manufacturer-independent standard, which ensures the interoperability and controllability of system components of virtual power plants, is now available for the first time. 35 member corporations [including NettedAutomation GmbH] are currently actively engaged in the industry alliance to promote the advancement of the international industry standard VHPready. The participation in the open industry alliance “Industrieforum VHPready e.V.” is based on the certainty that only a common standard will allow for a reliable, seamless and economic collaboration of all controllable components as well as their compatibility. The specification VHPready 4.0 is now available to all member corporations.

An extensive data point list constitutes the functional core of VHPready 4.0 and helps integrate different energy systems into virtual power plants using the telecontrol protocols IEC 60870-5-104 or IEC 61850-7-420. In addition to a plant park with a set of different energy systems, this data point list facilitates the integration of combined heat and power units (CHPs), wind and solar plants, heat pumps, batteries, electric heating, boilers and buffer tanks. Data points for meters and external signal contacts are also available.

At the forthcoming VHPready symposium on 12 November 2015 industry alliance members will present the first systems adapted to VHPready 4.0.

Click HERE for the press release.

Click HERE for a Windows Evaluation Version of the VHPready 3.0 Model; with the new icd file specifying the version 4.0 model you can re-use the application. By the way: Most of the Data Objects used in the Evaluation version 3.0 are the same in version 4.0.

The VHPready model and services (IEC 60870-5-104 AND IEC 61850) are also supported by gateways offered by HMS (the company that is one of the very big gateway companies … offering ANYBus ...

Neues vom Verein VHPready – E-World Messeerfahrung

Sie finden auf der Website von VHPready sehr interessante Berichte zur Messe E-World und Beiträge:

- das White Paper zu VHPready 4.0

- ein Résumé zum E-world Messeauftritt des Industrieforums

- die Presseinformationen zur E-world

- die Vortragsfolien zu einem VHPready-Vortrag im „Energy Transition“ Forum der E-world

- eine Veröffentlichung in den „Energie & Management Powernews“, in der LichtBlick und Fraunhofer FOKUS zu Wort kommen.

Weiterhin ist die Kurzdarstellung der VHPready Services GmbH (i.G.) inzwischen auch auf Englisch verfügbar.

Einige Aussagen von Besuchern auf dem Messestand:

„Angesichts der vielen auf der Messe gezeigten Szenarien Virtueller Kraftwerke wird die Dringlichkeit von Standardisierung deutlich.“

„Wir haben uns beim Messerundgang schon gewundert, wie die vielen proprietären Lösungen zusammenspielen sollen. Endlich haben wir jemanden gefunden, der sich um die Standardisierung der Kommunikation kümmert!“

„Endlich ein Standard, der auf praktischen Erfahrungen beruht und nicht von anwendungsfernen Technokraten gemacht wurde.“

„Sehr gut, dass Ihr von Beginn an international denkt!“

VHPready English Website

The Industry Alliance VHPready e.V. is happy to announce that the English website is now online:

www.vhpready.com

The industry alliance VHPready e.V. is committed to the realization of the energy transition (“Energiewende”) by creating and using a standardized network of decentralized energy systems.

Standards like IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850 will build the core of the communication system.

The group is growing quite fast … 25 Members (per 2015-01-01) are supporting the crucial idea that we need standardized information and information exchange in the future energy domain.

Neuer Webauftritt VHPready

Das Industrieforum VHPready hat seit heute einen neuen Webauftritt mit vielen neuen Informationen:

http://www.vhpready.de/

See you there.

Mitgliederzuwachs im VHPready e.V.

Das Industrieforum VHPready e.V. setzt sich für die Realisierung der Energiewende durch die standardisierte Vernetzung dezentraler Energieanlagen ein. Das Industrieforum VHPready e.V. leistet einen Beitrag zur Integration erneuerbarer Energien in den Energiemarkt und ermöglicht den Ausgleich ihrer Volatilitäten durch das orchestrierte Zusammenwirken dezentraler Energieanlagen. Der Standard VHPready und seine Zertifizierung gewährleisten das nahtlose, sichere und kostengünstige Zusammenwirken aller steuerbaren Komponenten und deren Kompatibilität und bilden die Grundlage für flexible Aggregationen dezentraler Energieanlagen zu virtuellen Kraftwerken.

Mittlerweile sind über 20 Firmen und Organisationen dem Forum beigetreten:

1. 2G Energy AG
2. 50Hertz Transmission GmbH
3. Beck IPC GmbH
4. Bilfinger GreyLogix GmbH
5. Bosch Software Innovations GmbH
6. Energy2market GmbH
7. energy & meteo systems GmbH
8. E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH
9. Fraunhofer Gesellschaft e.V.
10. IABG GmbH
11. IT&I GmbH
12. LichtBlick SE
13. N·E·ST Neue Energie Steinfurt GmbH
14. NettedAutomation GmbH
15. Next Kraftwerke GmbH
16. Optimax Energy GmbH
17. Phoenix Contact Electronics GmbH
18. SSV Software Systems GmbH
19. Vattenfall Europe Wärme AG
20. WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG
21. Energieservice Westfalen Weser GmbH
22. Younicos AG

Die standardisierte Kommunikation nach IEC 60870-5-104 und IEC 61850 sind Grundlage der Vernetzung!

Industrieforum VHPready nimmt Fahrt auf

Das “Industrieforum VHPready” erarbeitet einen Standard für virtuelle Kraftwerke, der auf den Normen IEC 60870-5-104 und IEC 61850 aufbaut.
Mittlerweile haben die ersten Arbeitsgruppen des Vereins ihre Arbeit aufgenommen:

AG 1: Weiterentwicklung von VHPready
AG 2: Zertifizierung/Präqualifikation
AG 3: Marketing, Internationalisierung und Standardisierung

Vision und Mission des Vereins:

Das Industrieforum VHPready e.V. setzt sich für die Realisierung der Energiewende durch die standardisierte Vernetzung dezentraler Energieanlagen ein. Der Standard VHPready und seine Zertifizierung gewährleisten das nahtlose, sichere und wirtschaftliche Zusammenwirken aller steuerbaren Komponenten und deren Kompatibilität. VHPready bildet die Grundlage für den flexiblen Zusammenschluss
dezentraler Energieanlagen zu virtuellen Kraftwerken.

Hier für den Flyer klicken.
Hier finden Sie den Zugang zu VHPReady.
Hier ist eine aktuelle Veröffentlichung in den EW Medien.

Mitte Juni 2014 waren folgende Firmen und Organisationen Mitglied: 2G Energy • 50Hertz • Beck IPC • Bosch SI • Energy2market • E.ON Connecting Energies • IABG • Fraunhofer Gesellschaft • IT&I • LichtBlick • Optimax Energy • Phoenix Contact • SSV Software Systems • Vattenfall Europe Wärme • WAGO Kontakttechnik • Younicos

Das Industrieforum ist aus meiner Sicht die erste ernstzunehmende Aktivität in Deutschland, die Vielfalt in der Kommunikation zwischen den vielen dezentralen Energieerzeugungsanlagen (Energie-Erntemaschinen) und Leitsystemen zu reduzieren beziehungsweise erst gar nicht aufkommen zu lassen.

Ohne (eine oder vielleicht zwei) einheitliche Kommunikationslösungen werden die Aufwendungen bei der Realisierung von notwendigen Informationsaustauschverfahren sehr hoch – was dazu führt, dass entweder viele Energieerzeugungsanlagen gar nicht oder nicht optimal eingesetzt werden können oder die Anlagen nur mit einer einzigen Leitstelle kommunizieren kann.

Die Mitarbeit im Industrieforum VHPReady sollte ein Muss für alle Netzbetreiber, Betreiber von virtuellen Kraftwerken und von dezentralen Erzeugungsanlagen sein!

VHPReady Website online

Das Industrieforum VHPready e.V. setzt sich für die Realisierung der Energiewende durch die standardisierte Vernetzung dezentraler Energieanlagen ein. Das Industrieforum VHPready e.V. leistet einen Beitrag zur Integration erneuerbarer Energien in den Energiemarkt und ermöglicht den Ausgleich ihrer Volatilitäten durch das orchestrierte Zusammenwirken dezentraler Energieanlagen. Der Standard VHPready und seine Zertifizierung gewährleisten das nahtlose, sichere und kostengünstige Zusammenwirken aller steuerbaren Komponenten und deren Kompatibilität und bilden die Grundlage für flexible Aggregationen dezentraler Energieanlagen zu virtuellen Kraftwerken.

Das Industrieforum hat seit einigen Tagen einen eigenen Webauftritt:

http://vhpready.de/

Click HERE for some discussion of the approach.

New VHPReady Industrieforum to push IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850

The specification “Virtual Heat and Power” (VHPReady) has been developed by Vattenfall and published as Version 3. The specification is a profile for a specific application. It has gained crucial industry support. The specification is the major input for the newly established “Industrieforum VHPReady”  this week Wednesday during the E-World conference in Essen.

The Virtual Power Plant combines block-type combined heat and power (BCHP) plants and heat pumps to create an interconnected, flexible system with centralized control. It is the first power plant which is capable of generating power during heat generation using the connected BCHP plants while making good use of excess wind and solar electricity by way of heat pumps.

The two communication options are: IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850.

Founding members of the Industrieforum are well known organizations and companies:
- Fraunhofer FOKUS
- 2G Energy AG
- 50Hertz Transmission GmbH
- Beck IPC GmbH
- Bosch Software Innovations GmbH
- Energy2market GmbH
- E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH
- IT&I GmbH
- LichtBlick SE
- Optimax Energy GmbH
- PHOENIX CONTACT Electronics GmbH
- SSV Software Systems GmbH
- Vattenfall Europe Wärme AG
- WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG
- Younicos AG

Download the VHPReady 3.0 specification in English [PDF, 650 KB] and in German [PDF, 650 KB].

Some discussions can be found here:

• English Version of Vattenfall’s “VHP READY – Virtual
  Heat & Power Ready” available
• Is IEC 61850 still there?
• IEC 61850 ready for VHP-Ready (Virtual Heat and
  Power Ready)

English Version of Vattenfall’s “VHP READY – Virtual Heat & Power Ready” available

Vattenfall Europe Wärme AG (Berlin, Germany) has published the famous specification “VHP READY” for information exchange in virtual power plants based on IEC 60870-5-104 respectively IEC 61850-7-420.

In order to integrate renewable energies into the power supply system successfully and economically, ways must be found to store and control them. The Virtual Power Plant, which stores energy in the form of heat, is a promising approach to solving this problem. With this technology, modern heating systems can also help to integrate renewable energies into the power supply cost-efficiently and accelerate the “Energy Transition”.

Data transmitted between a plant and the central control system via IP networks are encrypted either according to the IEC 60870-5-104 standard or the IEC 61850 series of standards (IEC 61850-7-420 in particular). Time synchronization is via SNTP/NTP. The following protocols are used for communication:

• either IEC 60870-5-104 or IEC 61850 / 61850-7-420
• TCP/IP
• SSL/TLS
• SNTP/NTP

Download the specification 3.0 in English [pdf]
Download the specification 3.0 in German [pdf]

The approach used in the specification is exactly what needs to be done for many other applications domains: define the profile to be implemented in such a detail that no or just very few options are left!!

The specification needs some more details to be published: the complete details of the information model as an SCL file. Currently the models are partly specified in SCL … the LNs and DOs are just listed in a table. The next version will have more details. And it is very likely that other resources like PV … will be included in version 4 as well.

Congratulation to Vattenfall for this promising approach!

Security and IEC 61850: Is it about Bug Fixes or Systematic Issues?

These days experts discuss the future of more secure IEDs and systems in the world of Industrial Control Systems (ICS). Note: ICS is also used in power systems – no question.

There are people that focus on single bugs and how to solve them by patching et cetera. Other experts are more looking at the systematic security problems in control systems.

Eric Byres, CTO and vice president of Tofino Security, a division of Belden, says “It will take major players like Exxon, Duke Energy, for instance, and other corporations with the ICS purchasing power, he says, to force vendors to step up and fix the systemic security issues."

Read a comprehensive discussion about the two positions – quite crucial and interesting.

What do you think about translating this statement into the issues we have with IEC 61850 Interoperability?

It will take major players like AEP, SCE, E.ON, EDF, RWE, Duke Energy, for instance, and other corporations with the ICS purchasing power, to force vendors to step up and fix the systemic interoperability issues with regard to IEC 61850."

This would help to prevent a lot of frustrations during factory and site acceptance tests.

Why do we see just a few major players from the utility domain using their force to improve interoperability? There are several reasons I see:

• Wall Street, Frankfurter Börse, …
• Ignorance of issues
• Not enough experts
• Attitude: just fix what brakes
• …

Recommendation from my side: Vendors and users should cooperate more in Teamwork and agree on writing documents like “How to profile IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5, …” to get specific profile specifications for a specific application that have (hopefully) not left options to ignore or to chose from.

A good example is the Vattenfall VHP Ready specification (Virtual Heat an Power). This spec defines the IOA for signals according to IEC 60870-5-104 and the Logical Device, Logical Node and Data Object Names.

Example 104:

Example IEC 61850:

If utilities do not specify what they want, they may experience a big surprise when they get the system delivered and installed. They may get much less or much more than what they expected.

And note this: When we get more standard conformant and interoperable IEDs installed, they are definitely linked to the Security issues discussed at the beginning!

What we are looking for is: Interoperable and Secure IEDs and Systems. We should not separate these two requirements! They are highly interrelated.

IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850 for Vattenfall’s VHP-Ready (Virtual Heat and Power Ready) Version 3.0

Vattenfall Europe Wärme AG has published Version 3.0 (October 2012) of their technical specification for virtual power plants: VHP-READY – Virtual Heat & Power Ready. This version comprises a complete profile of models for use of both standards. A detailed list of Signals respective Logical Nodes and Data Objects has been specified.

The new version specifies the use of IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850:

• IEC 60870-5-104 or IEC 61850 / 61850-7-420 (two options)
• TCP/IP
• SSL/TLS
• SNTP/NTP

Download the complete specification version 3.0 [German only, pdf, 670 KB].

This specification is exactly what the market needs to do: Specify in some level of details what is required for a typical application!

Congratulation to Vattenfall to lead the market (to a great extent) in preparing and presenting a publicly available specification of a profile for virtual power plants based on two international Standards: IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850 (IEC 61850-7-420).

IEC 61850 ready for VHP-Ready (Virtual Heat and Power Ready)

Vattenfall Europe New Energy GmbH and Vattenfall Europe Wärme AG seem to be ahead of many other utilities in implementing “virtual Power Plants”. They have set a standard on how to use renewable energy in a virtual power plant. The information exchange is realized with two IEC TC 57 standards: IEC 60870-5-104 (Fernwirktechnik) and IEC 61850-7-420 (DER).

Vattenfall is one of the leaders of the implementation of virtual power plants. The concept is called: VHP READY – Virtual Heat & Power Ready.

Their objective is by end of 2012 to provide their services to 150.000 housing units (with some 500 CHP or heat pumps) communicating with a Vattenfall control center. By 2013 they expect some 1,000 CHP or heat pumps providing heat and electric power to some 200.000 housing with an electric capacity of 200 MW.

The requirements document lists a total number of signals of 40:

• 8 binary status signals,
• 17 measurements and calculated values,
• 5 metered values, and
• 10 control points.

Requirements document referring to IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850 can be downloaded [German, pdf, 23 pages, 360 KB]

VHP READY – Virtual Heat & Power Ready

Vattenfall virtuelles Kraftwerk

Several other projects are under way in Germany to implement a similar approach. In one project there is already a plan to define (and possibly standardize) a specific profile (subset) of IEC 61850-7-420. Such a profile would represent the above some 40 signals – a very simple set of models that could easily be implemented in an IEC 61850 IED like the Beck IPC IEC 61850 com.tom:

More information on Beck IPC IEC 61850 com.tom.

Basic component for IEC 61850: the IPC@CIP

Download the discussion about benefits using Beck’s ready-to-go solutions with IEC 61850 [pdf, 2.3 MB, 18 pages]