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Substation Automation T&D


IT and OT Technologies for the Smart Grid

Convergence of information and operation technologies (IT & OT) to build a successful Smart Grid BY RICK NICHOLSON, Ventyx Smart Grid is a buzzword that has become an intrinsic part of the North American electric utility industry language in the past few years. Nearly every participant in the...

Working Together for a Smarter Grid

How Smart Grid technologies can transform the power industry BY DANIEL PÉLOQUIN, Schneider Electric Energy customers—both consumers and businesses—depend on reliable, affordable power. In North America, consumers take this privilege for granted. However, both the reliable and affordable...

Moving Smart Grid to the Field

Ben Franklin famously said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”. This saying certainly holds true for Smart Grid deployments, which can cost utilities several hundred million dollars. Given these high stakes, effective planning is essential. Many North American electric utilities...

Substation Automation T&D

Trends in SCADA Security

The importance of up-to-date critical system monitoring

BY MARLEE ROSEN, Rosen Associates

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks contain computers and applications that perform critical capabilities in delivering essential services and commodities (for example, electricity, natural gas, water, waste treatment, wind farms, transportation) to consumers. As such, they are part of America’s critical infrastructure and require protection from a variety of threats that exist in cyber space and even more commonly today, the mentality that “if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it”.

To optimize the collection and analysis of the data and control of equipment such as pumps and valves from remote locations, SCADA networks provide great efficiency and are widely used but many have been set up roughly 15 years ago and left to run without any further concern for product updates or enhancements.

MITIGATE RISK
These legacy SCADAs present a tremendous security risk. SCADAs were initially designed to maximize functionality and automate processes, product updates and new revisions. However, SCADA companies merged, ceased to exist or evolved more into manufacturing execution systems (MES). Also, tremendous changes have occurred in the automation industry that have left multitudes of outdated SCADAs in the field. As a result,...

Related Articles


Moving Smart Grid to the Field

Ben Franklin famously said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”. This saying certainly holds true for Smart Grid deployments, which can cost utilities several hundred million dollars. Given these high stakes, effective planning is essential. Many North American electric utilities...

Smart Transformers: Enhancing Grid Efficiency and Reliability

The evolving demands of modern power grids necessitate the adoption of advanced technologies that can provide enhanced efficiency, reliability, and flexibility. Smart transformers are at the forefront of this technological revolution, offering a range of capabilities that significantly improve the...

Cloud Computing for Electric Utilities

Need-to-know info for electric utilities BY LEN WHITTEN, SunGard Availability Services The electric power industry has often been a first-mover in adopting new technologies before other industries move forward with implementation. For example, electric utilities were among the first companies to...

Motion Computing Secures CID2 Certification for F5 Rugged Tablet

Motion® Secures CID2 Certification for F5 Rugged Tablet and EasyConnect UHF RFID Long-Range Reader Motion Computing recently announced that it has secured Class I, Division 2 (CID2) certification for the F5te Rugged Tablet & EasyConnect UHF RFID Long-Range Reader. With CID2 certification,...


FERC Complaint Targets Duke, PJM Transmission Planning

A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...

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FERC Approves Interconnection for Talen Energy, Amazon Data Center

In a significant move that underscores the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy to power the expanding digital infrastructure, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved an interconnection agreement between Talen Energy, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Exelon. This...

Smart Transformers: Enhancing Grid Efficiency and Reliability

The evolving demands of modern power grids necessitate the adoption of advanced technologies that can provide enhanced efficiency, reliability, and flexibility. Smart transformers are at the forefront of this technological revolution, offering a range of capabilities that significantly improve the...

NEURAL GRID TAKES SMART GRID INTO THE CLOUD

FROM SMART GRID TO NEURAL GRID

NEURAL GRID TAKES SMART GRID INTO THE CLOUD The Neural Grid represents more than Smart Grid v2.0—much more. Today, the smart grid implies the legacy mechanical power transmission and distribution (T&D) networks enhanced by pockets of automation, connectivity, and centralized IT systems. The...

4 Benefits of Distribution Automation in a Decentralized Energy World

When dozens of utilities received stimulus funds for distribution automation projects in 2009, solar was barely a gigawatt-scale market in the U.S. Sandy was simply a lead character in Grease, not a superstorm that would prompt cities and states to reassess the future-readiness of their...

Smart Buildings

Building a better world of smart structures on the smart grid

It is a truth universally acknowledged that billions of people around the world live in poverty. But does it have to be that way? Today’s technological progress means that tomorrow we will be able to produce more, more efficiently – lifting people above the breadline with accelerated...

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