Exploring the Role of Digital Substations in Driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract The next generation of power substations, known as digital substations, are influencing contemporary digital technologies to change how energy is delivered and transported. The objective of the paper is to clearly define how the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can improve the performance and value of assets without requiring replacement of the fleet, reshaping the future of electrical power substations. The paper introduces a case study that analyses smart digital substations, connecting wind farms to the grid, where both primary and secondary assets and wind turbines data are made available to a SCADA system. Following a methodological approach and considering the off-line (historical data, operators’ inspections, off-line reports) and on-line (interconnected sensors, protection & control IEDs and SCADA parameters) data being captured from assets and are ingested into the platform, breaking the information silos, contributing to assess the risk level for each asset, in a user friendly and easily accessible cloud SaaS (Software as a Service) environment. The methodological approach deployed in this paper helped to define how to use data to its fullest potential and enable renewable energy sources to provide more dependable power supplies while utilizing the same grid infrastructure. The approach defines a clear path starting by applying predictive maintenance fundamentals through condition monitoring, moving to turning data into information, evolving to turning information into decisions as outcomes from the Asset Performance Management system (APM), and finally Video Analytics technology. As a result of applying this approach on a step-up power transformer and protection relays, APM application is proved to be able to produce more insights, of higher quality and level of detail, that helps in having effective decision-making process.