SGF-IEC Week 2023

The IEC 61850 standard is an extensive and complex set of international standards specifically designed for substation automation and the smart grid. Now universally recognised as the de-facto standard for power grid compliance, it presents as many challenges as it does opportunities. During this workshop Christoph Brunner, Convenor of IEC TC57 WG10 provides a comprehensive and in-depth insight into the building blocks, key applications, and optimal operations of the standard within the substation environment and beyond. Whether you are just at the start of your IEC 61850 investigations or have several years’ practical implementation experience, this workshop will provide you with a much needed update on the fundamentals of this evolving standard

This one-day practical workshop provides both experienced power grid cybersecurity practitioners and those who are new to the profession with an efficient way to learn about the fundamental building blocks of the IEC 62443 series of standards. Participants will obtain knowledge of how the standard can best be applied to the power grid environment. Gabriel Faifman, Co-Convenor of TC65 WG10 kicks off the day with an overview of concepts, terminology and models, and goes on to review the application of the different parts of the standard. Through discussions the participants will learn on how IEC 62443 can be used at different stages of the lifecycle of Industrial and Automation Control Systems (IACS) and how knowledge applies to the power grid. The day wraps up with an analysis of how IEC 62443 can be leveraged to strengthen risk management and defence in depth strategies

The CIM series of standards are designed to support the integration of a wide range of internal systems, integration of the utility with other critical infrastructure organisations, and with a host of new flexibility market players. Understanding the implementation implications of the series is often a complex, time consuming, and baffling process for those new to the standard. In this workshop, Svein Olsen, Lead Member of IEC TC57 WG 13,14 & 16 will help break down the essential building blocks of the standard, so that participants understand its optimal application within the utility environment, and get to grips with its current vulnerabilities and future evolution. By the end of the workshop you will be equipped to apply the knowledge gained to create an efficient implementation plan tailored to the needs of your organisation

Session 1: Fundamentals of IEC 61850 - Main features of the standard and implications for the utility engineer

This session is a short introduction to IEC 61850. The concept of IEC 61850 is introduced to support interoperability, free configuration and long term stability. A comparison with other communication standards will be made, and the impact on the utility engineer will be clarified. Edition 1 will be reviewed in relation to its application in different domains. The main features of IEC 61850 communication, application modelling and engineering process will be introduced including GOOSE messaging and Process bus with sampled values

Session 1: Introduction to CIM - UML, XML, and RDF/XML

In this session participants receive an overview of the Unified Modelling Language (UML) and its components, such as class diagrams and its role as the fundamental building block for modelling CIM data, as well as explanation of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and its components, such as elements, attributes, and namespaces, and how it is used to represent and exchange CIM data using RDF/XML, XML and JSON. You will also get an introduction to open source and licensed UML modelling tools and XML schema generators, alongside techniques used to visualise, read, and validate UML and XML models

Session 2: Evolution of the standard - Improvements, wider smart grid applications and suitability for new domains

Understand how the standard grows from Edition 1, the backward compatibility aspects, new features and functionalities, the rate of take up within vendor products and feedback from utility implementations. In this session the major new features introduced will be discussed. The session will also talk about IEC 61850 implementations across the wider smart grid, as well as in new domains such as hydroelectric power plants, distributed energy resources and wind turbines

Session 2: Introduction to CIM Profiles

Understand the role of CIM profiles as standardized subsets of the CIM Canonical Model to define specific data exchange requirements between different utility systems. Gain an overview of commonly used domain specific and implementation specific CIM profiles, their construction, and their use cases. Get an introduction to the processes involved in implementing a CIM profile from identifying requirements, profile selection, systems analysis, data mapping, validation, documentation, to profile maintenance. Familiarise with the tools and techniques used to implement and validate CIM profiles

Session 3: Advanced maintenance testing - Challenges of testing in a live Substation

Understand the challenges of maintenance testing in live substations and how the various features available in IEC 61850 can address those challenges. Consider testing for various topologies and how to use simulation and hierarchical control of test mode. The session will address how the test source of InRef can be used to solve issues. Requirements for modelling and engineering of the test system will be addressed

Session 3: Introduction to CIM Extensions -Understand the need for modification or addition to a standard CIM profile when it does not meet the specific requirements or needs of a particular system, application, or organisation

Examine common instances where transmission and distribution operators may require additional information on network topology and network elements, or specific data-exchange requirements that are not included in the standard CIM profiles. Gain an overview of the processes involved in extending a CIM profile

Session 4: Advanced engineering process - How IEC 61850 is evolving to enhance interoperability of the engineering process

This session will examine the engineering process across the entire lifecycle of IEC 61850 systems. The challenges of the early implementations will be discussed and how user feedback is helping to enhance the process. Learn, how extensions made to Ed 2.1 of IEC 61850 contribute to the improvement, understand how the specification process will evolve, to assure your automation system will work as expected. The session will address further ongoing work in CIGRE as well as
EU-funded research projects

Session 4: Inter-utility Use Case - CIM for Grid Models Exchange

Overview of how CIM provides a standardized data exchange format for grid development and network code processes across regional or pan-European boundaries. Evaluate the challenges around the exchange of equipment information, topology information, power system state variables, and steady state hypothesis information. Understand how the Common Grid Model Exchange Specification (CGMES) enables the use of power system data for load flow and contingency analysis, short circuit calculations, market information transparency, capacity calculation for capacity allocation and congestion management, and dynamic security assessment, ensuring compatibility between different applications used by TSOs and DSOs

Session 5: Intra-utility Use Case - Operational, Planning, and Asset Management Data Exchange

Overview of the process for exchanging data between internal systems using CIM standards, such as data flow, data transformation, and data validation. Explanation of the different types of data exchanges and their use cases, such as real-time data exchange for monitoring and control, and batch data exchange for reporting and analysis. Examination of the challenges and best practices for designing and implementing internal systems data exchange, such as data quality, data consistency, data security, and data governance

Session 6: Utility to Flexibility Players and Markets Use Case

Overview of the of the evolving data-exchange requirements and challenges brought about by the transition to a low-carbon, decentralized energy system, and increasing demands of energy consumers and stakeholders. Understand how a common network model derived from CIM can provide the basis for standardising network and system operator datasets, minimise duplication of efforts, enable innovation, and remove barriers to entry for new market participants and service providers

Choice of 3 Practical Workshops

Fundamentals of IEC 61850 for Substation Automation

IEC 62443 for OT Cybersecurity

IEC CIM for Operational System Data Exchange

IEC 61850 Workshop

IEC 62443 Workshop

IEC CIM Workshop