12-Week Online Training for Electrical Engineers New to IEC 61850

Date: Wednesday 10th January - Wednesday 27th March 2024

Time: 16:00 - 17:30 CET every Wednesday

Format: Virtual

Venue: LearnWorlds Online Platform

Very Early Bird – Save up to €2,000 on Delegate places by booking before Friday 29th September 2023!
Group Booking Discount - 10% discount for 3+ delegates, 20% discount for 5+ delegates and 30% discount for 10+ delegates booked from the same organisation at the same time!

Fundamentals of IEC 61850 

Programme Format

This 12-week IEC 61850 online training programme is overseen by Christoph Brunner, supported by the IEC, and certified by the CPD. Each module is led by a different speaker and consists of: 30-min speaker presentation, 30-min problem solving exercise, 20-min Q&A session, 10-min multiple choice quiz. There is a final exam at on Wednesday 3rd April 2024 in order to receive CPD certification.

Module Topics

Module 1:

10th Jan 2024

Overview Understanding the history of substation automation and the reasons behind the development of the IEC 61850 standard
• Building the business case for IEC 61850 as a facilitator of multi-vendor interoperability
• Comparing IEC 61850 with other protocols and understanding its role in smart grid communications architectures
• Mapping out the contents of IEC 61850 and understanding the range of possibilities afforded by the standard
• Understanding the difference between Station Bus and Process Bus IEC 61850 architectures, and the level of data exchange possible
• Reviewing recent and future developments to IEC 61850 and understanding how it will evolve alongside the smart grid

Alex Apostolov

Editor in Chief

PacWorld

Module 2:

17th Jan 2024

Data Modelling – Introducing IEC 61850 data exchange and functional modelling concepts
• Understanding the OSI 7 Layer Model and the stack of protocols specified by IEC 61850
• Understanding the hierarchical data model and how devices exchange data in IEC 61850 systems
• Introducing IEC 61850 objects, Logical Nodes and other IEC 61850 data constructs
• Introducing IEC 61850 semantics and nomenclature
• Understanding different vendor interpretations of IEC 61850 modelling concepts

Renaud Renaud-Drouin

Automation Engineer

Hydro Quebec

Module 3:

24th Jan 2024

Communication servicesUnderstanding the core communication services used to exchange information in IEC 61850 systems
• Understanding the Abstract Communication Service Interface and its role in achieving interoperability
• Introducing the IEC 61850 communication services and establishing their uses within IEC 61850 systems
• Using MMS for client/server communication
• Using GOOSE messages for time-critical publisher/subscribe communication
• Using Sampled Values for transmitting digitized power system measurements
• Introducing buffered/non-buffered reporting and logging

Bas Mulder

Consultant

DNV

Module 4:

31st Jan 2024

IEC 61850 Outside the Substation – Understanding the use of IEC 61850 to control & monitor grid-edge assets
• Understanding the monitoring, protection and control requirements of DERs in the energy system
• Identifying IEC 61850 features and related standards that facilitate the control of renewable power, microgrids, EV and battery storage systems
• Introducing data models for use with inverter-based DERs
• Examining the use of IEC 61850 to communicate over public networks with XMPP
• Modelling DER activation schedules with IEC 61850

Frances Cleveland

President

Xanthus Consulting

Module 5:

7th Feb 2024

Networking – Introducing basic networking concepts that underlie IEC 61850 systems
• Understanding the role of Ethernet and TCP/IP in IEC 61850 systems
• Introducing Ethernet addresses, physical connections, frames and collisions
• Understanding different types of networks, including LAN, VLAN, WAN and VPN
• Assessing the redundancy requirements of IEC 61850 systems and evaluating suitable protocols including HSR and PRP
• Understanding the additional networking and time synchronization requirements of process bus IEC 61850 systems

Maik Seewald

Senior Technical Lead, Industrial IoT, Automation Networks & Security

Cisco

Module 6:

14th Feb 2024

Engineering process overview – Understanding the IEC 61850 engineering process from start-to-finish
• Introducing the IEC 61850 engineering process and identifying differences with traditional approaches
• Understanding top-down and bottom-down IEC 61850 design approaches
• Understanding the use of engineering tools for design & configuration of IEC 61850 systems
• Examining the engineering process in detail across the whole lifecycle of a substation

Jörg Reuter

Managing Director

Helinks

Module 7:

21st Feb 2024

Specifying IEC 61850 Systems – Using engineering tools accurately capture functional requirements of IEC 61850 systems in SCL files
• Introducing Substation Configuration Language (SCL) and examining its application in substation engineering
• Understanding how engineering tools are used to create and exchange SCL files and the differences between different types of file
• Creating a System Specification Description (SSD) file from single-line diagrams and substation functional specifications
• Selecting IEDs that fulfil functional requirements based on IED Capability Description (ICD) files

Thomas Sterckx

Expert, Engineering Secondary Systems

Elia

Module 8:

28th Feb 2024

Configuring IEDs – Using configuration tools to configure devices for a wide range of IEC 61850 functions
• Understanding how engineering tools are used to configure IEC 61850 devices
• Creating a System Configuration Description (SCD) file based on a system communication diagram
• Creating IID and CID files using an IED configuration tool
• Configuring GOOSE & Report Blocks
• Configuring Gateways to interface IEC 61850 equipment with other systems

David MacDonald

Grid Automation System Architect

GE Renewable Energy

Module 9:

6th Mar 2024

Quality Assurance – Ensuring all IEC 61850 devices and systems closely match specified requirements
• Understanding the different QA requirements of IEC 61850 systems vs. traditional substation equipment
• Introducing the IEC 61850 QA process as laid out in the standard
• Understanding IEC 61850 conformance testing and certification
• Guidelines for Factory Acceptance Testing
• Guidelines for Site Acceptance Testing

Herb Falk

Managing Director

Outside the Box Consulting

Module 10:

13th Mar 2024

Testing Overview – Understanding the testing requirements of IEC 61850 systems and identifying features and tools that facilitate effective testing
• Understanding the components of an IEC 61850 test system
• Introducing the use of testing tools based on SCL
• Understanding IEC 61850 test-related features
• Understanding the difference between functional and system testing
• Using the IEC 61850 test mode to test live systems

Ovidiu Serban

Senior Consultant, Digital Systems Operations

DNV

Module 11:

20th Mar 2024

Practical Testing – Detailing the practical approaches for testing a wide-range of IEC 61850 functionality
• Testing GOOSE messages, Sampled Values and report control blocks
• Testing IEC 61850 supervision functions
• Testing distributed functions encompassing multiple IEC 61850 devices
• Testing redundancy and time synchronization of IEC 61850 systems

Fred Steinhauser

Digital Substation Evangelist

OMICRON

Module 12:

27th Mar 2024

Cybersecurity – Evaluating the latest cybersecurity threats and identifying effective mitigation strategies for IEC 61850 systems
• Understanding the increased attack surface introduced by IEC 61850 systems
• Introducing IEC 62351 and understanding its role in securing IEC 61850 systems
• Understanding encryption and user authentication
• Understanding Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Access Control Lists
• Deploying Ethernet-based security features such as VPNs and Firewalls

Frances Cleveland

President

Xanthus Consulting