Gridspertise presents its universal module for medium voltage grid automation
At Enlit Asia, we presented our software solution for grid automation management. Our Chief Strategy Officer, Santiago Cascante Nogales, explained how it fits within the company’s strategy and why it responds to Distribution System Operators needs in managing faults in medium voltage systems.
Climate change is increasing the risk of outages due to the increased frequency, severity and distribution of extreme weather events and electricity networks are considered the element of the power system most vulnerable to climate impacts. Furthermore, according to the latest IEA report, the deployment of distributed energy resources can create challenges for system operators, particularly considering that higher levels of electrification result in higher peak loads and potential congestion on distribution grids. A vast part of existing grids was indeed planned when the nature of our energy system was fundamentally different and renewable energy penetration was practically non-existent, for example 40% of Europe’s distribution grids are over 40 years old.
Manual fault detection, unpredictable accidents, inadequate maintenance, and extreme temperatures (both high and low) can all pose threats to grid stability. Detecting and isolating faults and subsequently restoring services are costly and time-consuming processes that can result in extended outages, dissatisfied customers, and further increased operational costs due to penalties on service quality indicators. Legacy Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems often lack advanced capabilities for effective fault management and self-healing automation and require large investments to be upgraded.
DSOs need a comprehensive solution that addresses these challenges and empowers grid operators to proactively manage faults and enhance grid reliability. This solution should help grid distributors locate the fault position, optimize the used resources, reduce time and impact of the out-of-service area, while maximizing efficiency and response time in line with the authority guidance.
Our universal module for Medium Voltage (MV) grid automation smoothly integrates with any SCADA, enhancing legacy system capabilities through smart fault selection, advanced fault location, isolation and service restoration (FLISR), with a recovery time up to less than 1 second. Providing both fast and slow Self-Healing Automation, the new solution provides a comprehensive approach to fault management: Distribution System Operators (DSOs) can benefit from greater control, reduced response times and the ability to provide uninterrupted power supply to increase customers’ satisfaction rates.
With this cutting-edge solution, our company is solidifying its role as an accelerator in grid transformation and digitalization, and the presentation of this new solution for grid automation in the latest edition of Enlit Asia further validates our positioning. It is also thanks to our universal module for the MV grid automation.
In this interview, Santiago Cascante Nogales , Chief Strategy Officer of Gridspertise, highlighted how our new solution for grid automation management offers exceptional support for DSOs as they tackle the challenges associated with the energy transition.
1. What does differentiate this new solution for grid automation management from other FLISR modules?
Fault Location, Isolation and Service Restoration is one of the main smart grid functionalities, and it has become much more necessary as the complexity of the electrical distribution grid is increasing. The best way to improve power availability and reliability is to quickly determine fault locations, isolate them and more importantly, automatically restore power to the feeders. Our solution is SCADA agnostic, meaning that you can integrate this solution with any legacy SCADA the customer may have. With our solution DSOs can make improvements on the operation, leverage the existing investment without costly replacements and avoiding data migration. We offer the possibility of grid automation with seamless scalability.
The second main feature is the capability to manage simple and static complex automations, all of which occur on the edge, meaning that whichever SCADA you have, it is a customer-friendly solution: you have a simple configuration tool that can do it in a scalable way from the operational room. It is not necessary to go to the field: you have access to complete FLISR functionalities and send this configuration to operate the Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) to adopt restoration logics.
2. We presented our grid automation solution in the ASEAN region, can you give an example of how this solution is best applied in this area?
South Asian nations are one of the major countries worldwide with the biggest increase in demand: they have committed to renewable targets, thus more flexibility and resilience on the grid are necessary to enable a good penetration. In order to respond to this change in demand in a more cost-effective way, grid digitalization is required. With our grid automation solution and our Quantum Edge® device – our edge platform for substation virtualization – we believe that distribution companies in the ASEAN countries can achieve their goal. We offer a one-stop-shop solution that digitalizes grid in order to cope with these challenges.
This combined solution provides the aforementioned FLISR and at the same time protection, automation, and metering schemes: all virtualized in one device that is available with the previous configurations and can cope with upgrades on the network or new functionalities. It is like an accelerator of grid digitalization, and for this reason, we offer this solution and the QEd together as a grid automation management in this area.
3. What are the other energy scenarios in which our grid automation management solution can be applied?
It is a worldwide solution, it responds to a need and tackles a challenge happening in all the networks. Areas with a higher share of renewables on the grid need increased automation, communication, and cybersecurity protection. Countries with high penetration like Germany, the Nordics, the South of Europe, and areas in North America require more controllability and flexibility, which means they need to increase their automation levels. This trend is happening in different ways and all around the world.
The solution can be applied to any network configuration and in critical infrastructures, where you need an automatic restoration in seconds. The most important feature is not to detect the fault immediately but to activate and realize automatic restoration in seconds. Usually, these solutions are used in hospitals or chemical plants (e.g., high tech companies, refineries, etc.) to reduce downtime and ensure the continuity of service/production. The other big thing about the MV automation module is that you can scale it easily in the overall network. The more penetration in distributed energy resources increases, the more DSOs need to optimize the grids, and in order to add more flexibility DSOs need this grid automation scheme.
4. How is the new grid automation management solution linked to our other solutions, for example which is the direct connection with the QEd?
QEd is an amazing device that allows you to virtualize all the elements that previously were physically installed in the substation. It is like the smartphone of the grid: previously, if you remember, you had your phone, your camera, your microphone, and everything was in different devices. Suddenly a new technology appeared to allow you to run applications and integrate everything in one device: the smartphone.
QEd is basically the same concept: for instance, it can virtualize several intelligent devices (e.g. remote terminal units, protections, router etc.) through customizable applications in one single solution, reducing the amount of equipment in the secondary substation.
But QEd is not just a virtualization machine: it has edge processing capabilities, running algorithms including protection, control, and automation directly on the edge, closer to the source of data, and acting quickly where the problem is.
When integrated with QEd, our new MV grid automation management solution enables to restore power supply across the grid up to less than 1 second, without the need to install other protection and control devices in field, with an edge automation approach.
We have developed our grid automation management solution for the QEd, allowing DSOs to partner with us in co-creation, design, and development of their own applications following the standard software architecture of the QEd. It is like a marketplace; they can create their own applications.
Historically, at our company, we have decided to believe in edge automation, and that is a big change: instead of running everything centralized, you rely on the decentralized devices where the problem is. Therefore, you can now connect to any legacy SCADA system because part of the intelligence is decentralized. It is not against cloud or centralized systems, it is a complementary solution, something else that brings you more value. In a nutshell: it is the Robin to our Batman!
This solution can be scaled for the rest of the world: if something works well in Singapore why can’t it run in New York? Creativity is all around, and we have to be flexible to the DSOs needs: they need to run and create their own solutions and we provide the platform for them to do so.
5. How does this launch fit in our strategy for the grid automation technologies?
As I mentioned previously, energy demand, renewables and flows complexity are increasing, and all of this is happening at the medium and low voltage level. Historically, this area of the network was not observed, monitored, and automated properly, everything started with the metering. Now observability on DERs and flexibility are necessary.
The next step is to control and automate: our company is here to help digitalize, control, observe, and automate the medium and low voltage power lines. This section of the grid is linked to DSOs and final users. We are here to make energy infrastructure fit to meet the evolving needs of DSOs, grid users and electricity end customers, accelerating our electric future.
About Santiago Cascante Nogales
Santiago Cascante Nogales is the Chief Strategy Officer at Gridspertise.
He acquired extensive international experience in the energy market, holding positions of responsibility at top companies like Schneider Electric and Siemens. Prior to joining Endesa, a subsidiary of Enel Group, Dr. Cascante Nogales concentrated on developing new business opportunities in the Transmission & Distribution Market.
His current role as Chief Strategy Officer of Gridspertise is to partner with DSOs all over the world to provide them with cutting-edge and effective technologies, accelerating the transformation and digitalization of their businesses. He formerly led the Innovation Division at various Enel Group corporations (Enel and Endesa), creating new business with a strong technological background on smart grids, flexibility, and smart e-mobility. He is also an experienced speaker and lecturer on entrepreneurship at a variety of business schools, providing market assessment for new ventures.
Dr. Cascante Nogales holds a Master’s in Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Edinburgh Business School.