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Future Substations - Digital Transformation in Power Substations 
Future Substations - Digital Transformation in Power Substations 

September 30, 2024

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I had the privilege to work with many leading power sector companies in the field of power system protections and automation technologies, and I have witnessed many digital transformations in substations over the last 20 years. From Non-communicable Electromechanical relays to Static relays and then to those Numerical communicable relays, From analog type meters to digital type meters and from the limited information available at the substation level to a whole lot of information available at Control center levels. Phenomenal Digital Transformations are happening in substation automation systems. Globally, numerical relays have transformed the ways substations are managed and controlled. In this sequence, our next level of transformation will happen as a Digital Substation and virtual substation.    

Digital Substations-     

  Digital substation is a modern, automated substation that uses digital technology to monitor, control, and manage electrical assets. Digital substations use sensors, communication networks, and Intelligent devices to replace traditional analog systems and manual operations. In the digital substation, we use Merging units that convert analog data from current and voltage to digital data from NCIT (Non-conventional Instrument Transformers). Where earlier kilometres of copper cables were used in substations from the yard to the control room, now only a few hundred meters of fiber optic cables come from switchyard kiosks to the control room.   

  Benefits of Digital Substations –    

  1. Safety – It is much safer to operate digital substations than conventional substations as electrical hazards will not be present, considering only fiber optic cables are coming to the control room instead of copper cables.  
  2. Cost – Digital substations are more cost-efficient to deploy and install than conventional substations. They can also reduce life cycle costs through asset management based on digital data.  
  3. Real-time data monitoring – Digital substations provide real-time data that can be shared between devices and substations. This data can improve system and asset awareness, leading to more proactive monitoring and sustainable solutions.  
  4. Maintenance – They can be managed remotely, which reduces maintenance costs. Also, predictive and preventive maintenance is possible from the data of substation devices.   
  5. Cyber security – Digital substations can help protect an organization's digital and physical assets from malicious cyber threats.  

Future Substations - Virtual Substations    

This is the next level of substation after digital substations, where control and protection functions control a substation within an information technology environment. Protection Relays called IEDs (Intelligent Electronic Devices) are considered the brain of every feeder in the substation and are removed from control panels. All technical intelligence and decisions are being made at the software level on a PC. In the substation, merging units take input from instrument transformers, and their information is directly sent to the substation PC or Cloud. Where bay-related information and control decisions will be taken from substation automation systems hosted at some data centers, they can be in the same substation or at a different location.   

It differs from current primary substations where actuators and sensors are outdoors or enclosed in GIS enclosures, and protection and automation systems are in clean, airconditioned rooms inside substations. In virtual substations, the protections and control functions are virtualized into a set of servers or PCs in the substation.   

Components of Virtual Substation –    

1. Sensors are becoming digital, and the very same sensors which are currently  plugged in IED will move to Merging Units. Merging Unit converts analog values  of current and voltages to digital values and manages the input/ output signals  which provides status and control of different equipment.   

2. Merging units is a very critical component of digital substations, and it will  remain a crucial unit in virtual substations. This will also have some backup protection functions in them.   

3. Fiber Optic Cables - The third component of the Virtual substation is Fiber optic  cables, which will run from Merging units to servers that host the IED (Intelligent  Electronic Devices) virtually. This also saves cost due to no copper cabling from  Switchyard to the control room.   

Benefits of Virtual substations    

1.The key benefit of virtual substation is remote control and monitoring; it enables  applications to be upgraded from remote locations without needing to take  shutdowns or closing the bay, saving time and money.   

2.In medium voltage switchgear, the panel instrument compartment hosts a   numerical relay cum Bay control unit. In virtual substations, we can separate   hardware and software layers of switchgear. The logical/computational/   intelligent part of IED can remain at the PC level.   

3.Significant application during project execution activities is testing can be  done in much faster ways. The software application hosting the configuration of  complete protection and automation systems can be tested and simulated without  going through and making a complete physical setup. Currently, it is being done  only after making a complete setup and done at the last stage.  

 Status of Real-world examples for Virtual Substation –    

Currently, RTE of France is piloting the virtual substation.   

One challenge with this virtual substation is it needs to be a proven system/concept. Currently, utilities are still testing digital substations only, and virtual substations are still a thing of the future for many in the industry. In addition, cyber security for virtual substations is a big challenge that needs to be addressed carefully.   

  IT (Information Technology) has matured quite well in handling cyber security threats with much-improved tools compared to OT (Operation Technology), where cyber security is still under development and testing stages. Earlier, OT has always worked in isolated environments and was not expected to communicate with the outside world; however, the way IT is evolving in OT environments and the benefits of communication in OT are being realized, OT is also prone to get connected in IT environments in future, and IT /OT convergence cannot be denied for long. It is going to happen very soon in the near future. Under these scenarios, OT must prepare itself to deal with Cyber security threats and adapt itselfto work in IT environments. CEA (Central Electricity Authority) of India has issued a draft regulation to handle cybersecurity in utilities, which is a very needed and welcome step for the power sector's security and reliability.    

Digital Transformation in Substations – Indian context      

In India, the first digital substation was commissioned at Maler Kotla in the state of Punjab, where PGCIL (Powergrid Corporation of India Limited) was the customer and Siemens was the supplier. They made this system wired and backed up digitally. After that, BRPL (BSES Rajdhani Power Limited), Delhi, GETCO (Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Ltd.), and OPTCL (Orissa Power Transmission Corporation Limited) are some advanced utilities that have commissioned a few Digital substations. PGCIL (Power Grid Corporation of India Limited) plans to add some more digital substations to their network shortly, mainly Navsari (Gujarat) and Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh). The total number of digital substations currently in India is still less than 10; however, this number is set to explode in the coming years as the total energy capacity is going to be enhanced, and there are many advantages to digital substations.  

Author:

Saurabh Srivastava

Head-Utilities – Digital Transformation Office
Cisco

 


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