Electric Power System Automation – Improving Reliability

Pro Watts has been providing high-performance Substation Automation Systems (SAS) solutions for over 15 years for the reliable control, protection, operation and monitoring of electricity substations.

Systems can support IEC 61850 process platform and multi-vendors IEDs integrated into a flexible distributed or centralized control platform with redundant substation communications and remote communications of choice to the Central Distribution Management System (DMS). Pro Watts has developed systems ranging from compact medium voltage systems to large sophisticated systems at high voltage with multi-user workstations, remote fault file access, hardwired & soft logic interlocks, remote diagnostics and enterprise connectivity compliant to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP).

Pro Watts can offer a comprehensive range of Substation Automation System solutions for Generation, Transmission & distribution and industry.

IEC 61850

The international IEC 61850 standard defines a framework for substation communications networks and systems. The standard consists of several parts ranging from the requirements on Protection & Control (P&C) and SAS to the details of a communication architecture.

A major difference between the other communication protocols applied in substation automation and IEC 61850 is that the latter is not only a communication protocol, but a whole framework for specifying, engineering and operating substation automation systems. The communication part covers the connection between the IEDs and the substation clients, for example, SCADA and gateways.

For the past 15 years Pro Watts provided IEC61850 based P&C and SAS solutions from simple substations to integrated system microgrid with multiple generation and distribution.

PLC/RTU

Any automation system implementation requires the use of a logical controller whether in the form of a dedicated PLC, a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) or hardened industrial computers. Specifying the right technology system requires extensive experience taking in consideration many factors such amount and type of data points, interconnected passive devices such sensors or active devices such IEDs or VFDs, desired control and monitoring speed, available features such alarming, data archiving. Latest reaction to the pandemic requires more and more that operational and maintenance data becomes available not only at plant level but for those that are working from home or are mobile.

These advances in technology requires companies like Pro Watts to be at the front of technological development and not only making sure that data is available at anytime but is only accessible by the intended parties.

Pro Watts has delivered PLC and RTU based solutions from substation automation with a couple of IEDs and an RTU, to large and more complex industrial facilities.

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