There are well over 4,000 substation automation systems installed worldwide. But until quite recently, there was no overall standard for the serial communications in substation automation, so the majority of these systems are based on proprietary standards. This meant that each system was limited to using components from a single supplier, or complex and costly protocol conversions had to be applied.
It is natural for power utilities to want to safeguard their investment in substation automation equipment. This has resulted in a growing demand for flexible, future-proof systems able to cope with changing requirements, philosophies and technologies. In the early years of this century, the industry responded by developing and releasing a new standard, IEC 61850 ‘Communication Networks and Systems in Substations’ which is the first and only global standard that considers all the communication needs within substations.
About the standard
IEC 61850 essentially defines standardized data models and sets, communication mechanisms and the system configuration language (SCL) in order to achieve a number of goals:
· interoperability of system components and software tools
· free allocation of functions as well as choice of different system architectures
· reuse of system configuration data
· understanding of the system description and functionality.
The standard is future-oriented, taking into consideration that developments in communication technology move faster than developments in the functionality of substation automation, protection and control equipment.
ABB leads the way in IEC 61850
· Continuous engagement in the elaboration and validation of the standard
· Consistent implementation of IEC 61850 as a key technology in products, systems and tools for best possible system integration
· Efficient introduction of systems based on the standard with modularized solutions for station control and monitoring as well as bay control and protection
· Guaranteed system openness for future hardware and functional extensions through fully standard-compliant documentation
· Development of state-of-the-art tools for efficient design, engineering, assembly, testing and commissioning, as well as maintenance of substation automation systems
· Integration of third-party devices and systems in ‘multi-vendor’ systems
· Quality assurance by ABB’s in-house System Verification Centre (SVC) in Baden, Switzerland – the world’s only vendor test centre with official qualification by UCA International, an independent user organization for IEC 61850