Modernizing protection, control, and monitoring systems with IEC 61850

During the past few years, a worldwide acceptance of IEC 61850 has been demonstrated as more and more substation devices are being integrated based on Ethernet technology. This trend represents new challenges for integrators, manufacturers, and end users. However, the field-proven benefits and lessons learned are truly valuable to managers, supervisors, and executives curious about bringing the benefits of IEC 61850 to their utilities. Utilities from around the world have deployed innovative projects based on the IEC 61850 communications standard, including Elektro in Brazil, NamPower in Namibia, NTPC Limited in India, and Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) in Mexico. This paper summarizes these successful deployment projects and presents network architectures and lessons learned during these projects.