Smart Grid Improves Reliability & Maintenance

Smart Grid distribution solutions offer the ability to deploy a high-speed and low-latency network to substations allows utilities to pursue fully substation automation operations. Today’s intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) provide automation of monitoring and protective functions within the substation when connected to a communication network. With Smart Grid technology, always-on communication between head-end enterprise systems and the IEDs in the substations, utilities can improve service reliability as well as improve substation maintenance and operations.

A Smart Grid WAN deployment can extend private communications to all substations without the on-going expense of leased circuits. The WAN can provide the two-way communications required for substation automation systems and centrally monitor and control IEDs.

Substation automation systems generally do not require much bandwidth but require always-on, low-latency connectivity in order to operate effectively.

The SecureMesh WAN products provide an optimal solution for substation automation systems. As a component of the Smart Grid technology, the SecureMesh WAN provides a cost-effective outdoor wireless system with either a direct Ethernet connection or a serial (RS-232, RS-485) connection (via a Ethernet-to-serial adapter) to IEDs. The SecureMesh WAN also enables communication via substation automation protocols such as IEC 61850, DNP3, and Modbus. Each SecureMesh WAN mesh node provides long-range links (up to 10 miles apart) to connect remote substations with always-on wireless communications. In addition, every link is encrypted for security and communications can be partitioned into virtual private networks (VPNs) for additional security and traffic guarantees.

With a SecureMesh WAN, utilities can deploy full automation to the substation and integrate into head-end distribution management systems (DMS) to improve grid reliability (i.e. lower SAIDI, MAIFI, CAIDI, SAIFI metrics) and substation operations.