Data-driven grid management for substations and medium-voltage units
Grid operators are seeking greater insight, control and flexibility, particularly for their low- and medium-voltage networks. Technolution Spark is meeting this need by further developing the open edge computing platform Flexcore. Together with our partners Locamation and Phase to Phase, we have recently installed Flexcore in a trial set-up at the German grid operator Alliander Netz Heinsberg. This installation offers Alliander Netz new insights and flexibility to use sensor information in medium-voltage stations in various ways.
Data-driven grid management
Data-driven grid management is an indispensable component of the energy transition. But substations, and especially medium-voltage units, are traditionally not digitized or digitized only to a limited degree. Existing solutions for measurement and control are highly specialized and not integrated. This means modernization and scale-up are difficult, expensive and time-consuming. The challenge is to connect these legacy solutions to new, modern systems.
Technolution Spark and Phase to Phase have now developed a flexible, scalable solution to do just that: Flexcore, an open platform for sensors, algorithms and local control. Together with Locamation, we are developing the standardized integration of Flexcore with this company’s medium- and high-voltage sensors, making data-driven grid management a reality.
The Flexcore platform
The Flexcore platform has been developed specifically for application in medium-voltage units and substations. It consists of commercially available (COTS) hardware, standard software building blocks and domain-specific apps. The platform is like a smartphone, whose camera, motion sensor and other built-in sensors can be used by any app the owner chooses to install. Users of Flexcore can similarly install apps that will be able to use the sensors in the medium-voltage station. The following are examples of apps supported by the Flexcore platform:
- Event Recorder
- Power Quality Analyzer
- Pre-Fault Detection
- Fault Finder
- State Estimation
The openness of the system prevents the emergence of vertical silos and supplier-specific solutions. The platform is equipped with modern IT security solutions and is compliant with highly demanding security requirements. Flexcore is connected with the grid operator’s (and other users’) ICT systems through the cloud via domain-specific standard protocols. Because it uses modern security technology, device management, maintenance and updates can be carried out remotely with total security.
The heart of Flexcore is an industrial Linux PC. It is fitted with all current long-life interfaces for medium-voltage units and substations. This means that standard sensors and actuators, such as Locamation’s Current and Voltage Merging Sensors, can be easily connected.
All elements of the chain
Phase to Phase is delivering the visualization of information through the Vision Cloud Solution platform. Technolution Spark is developing the required hardware and software for the Flexcore platform, as well as the control interface for the back-office and the operational management center. The software is based on open source as much as possible. The hardware consists entirely of commercially available devices, so that the platform is easy to expand and maintain. There is no supplier lock-in and third parties can easily develop and add new apps. All this means that Flexcore offers a flexible, future-proof and cybersecure solution for grid operators to obtain greater insight into their low- and medium-voltage networks.
“We’re working together smoothly to create an open and flexible platform for the digitization of the energy infrastructure.”
“It’s great that Technolution and Phase to Phase have been able to design the chain from hardware integration up to software functions that give users real-time insight into the load at substation through Vision Cloud”, says Matthijs van der Weg, Managing Director at Locamation. “In addition, we’re working together smoothly to create an open and flexible platform for the digitization of the energy infrastructure.”
