Electrical substation automation system modernization through the adoption of IEC61850

There is demand for a substation automation system (SAS) that is simple to integrate and provide high performance and flexibility. The increasing installation of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) provides interoperability and advanced communications capabilities in substation protection, coordination, control, monitoring, metering, and testing. IEC 61850 is the result of the efforts of the IEC Technical Committee 57 to produce an open standard for substation modeling and communications. The standard has gained popularity and continues to spread throughout the world. In this paper, IEC 61850 application in typical substation automation is explored. The experience of a real SAS modernization case is introduced. This case highlights the benefit of the IEC 61850 in substation monitoring and operation.