IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - July/August 2019 - 55

figure 7. A DER management functionality screen example.

substation edge and process bus devices from different suppliers to communicate with each other and 2) the ability to run the
same application in different models of substation edge devices.
Interoperability among devices can be met by using industry standard communications, such as IEC 61850 and the
Open Field Message Bus, to interface and share data. This
interoperability of communications is important, as NERC
standards require the use of redundant protection schemes
for transmission systems. Redundant substation edge devices,
each acquiring the same data, will be necessary. Compatibility
is the power of an application to run on any substation edge
device from any supplier. This may be challenging. As with
the smartphone ecosystem of today, application developers
may need to develop different versions tuned to run on different container-based operating systems.
The substation of the future is starting today. Many utilities are taking the first steps toward a digital substation by
adopting process bus with today's independent device architecture. Expect a continuing evolution of process bus design
and devices as utilities and suppliers develop best practices.
True substation edge devices with containerized applications
are becoming available, beginning with applications such as
APM. More applications will be developed to meet new operating scenarios, and the real-time operating systems necessary to support protection functions will also be added. The
best part of the substation of the future is that third-party companies, including utilities themselves, will develop new applications to improve power system operations to run in substation edge devices and energy management systems.

For Further Reading
San Diego Gas & Electric, "Monitoring, communication
and control infrastructure for power system modernizajuly/august 2019

tion," Dec. 31, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.sdge
.com/sites/default/files/EPIC-2%20Project%203_Final%20
Report.pdf
D. Tholomier and D. Chatrefou, "IEC 61850 process
bus-It is real!" PAC World, 2008. [Online]. Available:
https://www.pacw.org/issue/winter_2008_issue/protection_
iec_61850/iec_61850_process_bus_it_is_real/complete_
article/1.html
D. Stewart, A. Rose, and R. Hunt, "Using digital instrument transformers to reduce substation design costs," PAC
World, Mar. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.pacw
.org/issue/march_2018_issue/reducing_substation_design_
costs/tackling_the_challenges_of_hybrid_transmission_
line_new_methodologies/complete_article/1.html
R. Hunt, "Manufactured protection and control: A modular
approach to installing protection and control," in Proc. 2014
67th Annu. Conf. Protective Relay Engineers, pp. 743-769.
D. Ball and J. Byerly, "Fiber: From the whiteboard to the
station yard," PAC World, Mar. 2017. [Online]. Available:
https://www.pacw.org/issue/march_2017_issue/fiber_and_
process_bus/fiber_from_the_whiteboard_to_the_station_
yard/complete_article/1.html
Ercot, "DER management systems overview," Sept. 2014.
[Online]. Available: http://www.ercot.com/content/meetings/
etwg/keydocs/2014/0924/3_GTM_DERMS_Overview_-_
ERCOT_working_group_-_Sept_24.pdf

Biographies
Rich Hunt is with GE Renewable Energy, Apex, North Carolina.
Byron Flynn is with GE Renewable Energy, Boise, Idaho.
Terry Smith is with GE Renewable Energy, Chattanooga,
Tennessee.
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