Mission-critical communications for utilities

Mission-critical communications for power distribution

Our solutions for distribution automation improve grid reliability and efficiency, and give you control of the grid, anywhere, any time. We help you see inside your grid, with mission-critical communications technology backed by more than a century of experience in substation automation, communication and protection.

• Distribution Automation (DA): Distribution Automation (DA), also known as Feeder Automation (FA), encompasses a broad range of applications that help utilities make more efficient use of their distribution feeder systems. For example, utilities can confidently operate closer to the physical limits of their systems with the increase in more robust data for planning, engineering, and maintenance, extending equipment useful life.
• Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI): A communications network is a foundational part of a utility Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) architecture, delivering bidirectional connectivity between smart meters and head-end utility systems.
• Utility Mobile Workforce Management: Real-time wireless communication enables linemen and other mobile utility workers to bring a virtual office anywhere in their service territory, improving productivity and safety.
• Outage Management: Minimizes the duration of an outage by automatically detecting and isolating distribution feeder faults and rerouting around them if possible, with little or no manual intervention.
• Volt/VAr optimization: Used to improve the efficiency of the distribution feeder system through automated control of capacitor banks and voltage regulators.
• Physical security: Adding network communications to existing substations to extend reach to the various security devices around the yard is often physically or financially prohibitive. As wireless networks require no trenching, they are typically the most cost-effective solution for existing substations. Some of the physical security applications commonly used are video surveillance cameras; access control using biometrics, keypads, etc.; perimeter sensors that detect thermal/motion; and gunshot detection, alerting, and location identification.

Mission-critical communications for substation automation

Substation automation is a key smart grid application. Our mission-critical communications solutions enable remote monitoring and control of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) through the substation to achieve improved power grid reliability and visibility as well as lowered operational costs.

• Seamless redundancy: HSR (High Availability Seamless Redundancy) offers redundancy by sending messages through both directions in the same network and detecting broken communication links and alarming the user accordingly. With PRP (Parallel Redundancy Protocol), a message from an IED is sent through two identical independent networks thus removing the risk of communication breakdown in case there is a fault in one of the networks.
• Security of protected network: Depending on the application requirements, different measures need to be taken, starting from denial of service protection, protection against data modification using authentication, up to encryption of confidential data, and centralized user account management. This ensures a "defense in depth" approach.
• Switches, routers, and firewalls: The increase of Ethernet-based communication protocols, such as IEC 60870-5-104, paved the way for switches in local area networks of utilities. Critical applications such as IEC 61850 signals or SCADA data can be transmitted via fast and reliable Ethernet networks in the substation environment.
• Integration of Ethernet/ IP and legacy services: FOX615 addresses the needs of existing legacy networks, while at the same time providing future-proof equipment capable of evolving towards packet-based transport networks. This reduces the operational costs for our customers’ networks and enhances the reliability and the availability of services through reduced network complexity.
• IEC 61850 enabled platform: The TEGO1 interface module now further extends the capabilities of the FOX615/612 multiplexing platform to enable IEC 61850 GOOSE based line protection. With the ongoing digitalization of electrical substations, the GOOSE based line distance protection application brings significant advantages to our customers and further strengthens our digital substation offering.