Gridspertise joins E4S Alliance and reaffirms its commitment for secondary substation digitalization

The current economic scenario has posed new challenges to the power sector, and it has become more and more uncertain following the trends that characterize the global economies. Furthermore, the growing demand for electricity and the increased use of distributed energy resources and intelligent automation applications require a significant change in the way power grids today are designed, built, and operated.

To maintain a stable, efficient and sustainable energy ecosystem, grid infrastructure must become smarter through the use of cutting-edge technologies, equipment, and controls that support its orchestration, enhance connectivity to the edge, and improve asset management. 

The need for a flexible, resilient and reliable smart grid goes hand in hand with secondary substation modernization. The E4S Alliance, which Gridspertise has recently joined, is dedicated to this very subject. 

The digitalization of secondary substations

Secondary substations are responsible for delivering electricity to houses and businesses, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand end users. Acting as a conversion hub for information on the power flow traveling along the lines, secondary substations are becoming a critical grid component as they need to facilitate a smooth exchange of energy for and from a wide variety of assets, including electric vehicle charging stations and photovoltaic modules. Their modernization requires advanced computing capabilities to provide an effective response to these challenges through a flexible, scalable, and intelligent system that can be managed and upgraded over time to meet the changing needs of the grid.

In 2021 at Enlit Europe, Gridspertise launched the Quantum-Edge® Device, an all-in-one solution that performs all the main functionalities of electrical substations by virtualizing their components into edge application thus enabling increased functionalities without adding new devices. In addition, Gridspertise has recently joined the E4S Alliance to support the development of the specifications required for edge applications

Gridspertise joins the E4S Alliance

The E4S Alliance aims to accelerate the creation of a standards-based, open, interoperable, and secure architecture to improve automation, scalability, security, and manageability of substations worldwide. 

“We are proud to join the E4S Alliance and leverage on our expertise in edge-computing platforms to collaborate with the other members and accelerate together grid digitalization” pointed out Santiago Cascante Nogales, Chief Commercial Officer at Gridspertise. “In 2021, we launched the pioneering solution Quantum Edge® Device, and today with the entrance in the E4S Alliance, we guarantee that we are going to develop interoperable and open communication with third-party products to address DSO challenges. 

The core of our participation in E4S

Gridspertise entry into E4S represents an important strategic opportunity to promote the development of edge applications related to QEd which will be more aligned with the standard specifications for secondary substations’ edge devices and consequently more competitive on the market.

QEd will demonstrate and pave the way for introducing pervasive connectivity and computation for critical grid applications. Its platform will facilitate the introduction of new applications at the grid edge and in the cloud. It will help expand the developer ecosystem to accelerate the deployment of innovative solutions that keep pace with the changing mix of new supply and demand resources.

In the E4S Alliance framework, Gridspertise will leverage on its Co-Creation Program to collaborate with key industry players and technological companies that will test the solution and leverage market insights to develop new applications and enrich QEd functionalities.

In accomplishing this task, Gridspertise will integrate state-of-the-art technologies, new distributed resources which will support the spread of electrification in the economy, and thus fulfil the energy transition.