Modernizing Indian Substations

A report on the benefits of substation modernization highlighting the scopes for digital substations in meeting the country’s energy requirement.

India is the third largest energy consumer in the world. However, facilitating delivery of reliable and quality power and providing access to electricity for all remain challenging. Though efforts are being made around power quality improvement to reduce losses, it is believed that modernization of substations will contribute to India’s energy needs.

Modernization of substations by deploying modern, open-source technology can significantly enhances power supply efficiency and reliability. Also, substation automation can help to achieve optimal productivity while keeping costs and safety incidents at a minimum by reducing human intervention.

Akilur Rahman, Chief Technology Officer for Hitachi ABB Power Grids India said, “Modernisation of substations is about the automation of core technologies and also extending that system with the digitalization – making the data available to the larger pool of experts within the entire ecosystem and also making them secure. I think, by that we can definitely improve the performance of the assets, improve the performance of the substation, and also have more energy, availability, efficiency of energy in the utility and systems.”

K N Sreekumar, Business Unit Head for Digital Grid business for South Asia in Smart Infrastructure (SI) of OpCo at Siemens explains: “A modern substation is one that can improve the flexibility and responsiveness of the transmission and distribution grid by capturing and using a lot of accurate and detailed real time data which in turn enables to control grid stability and make the grid responsive to changing conditions.”

He adds, “Modern substations also use less resource like copper which is obtained by digging the earth which is not an eco-friendly method. So use of less copper is another facet of modern substations.”

Test and measurement instruments play a critical role in substation operations. Explaining the role of test and measurement instruments in substations, Imteyaz Siddiqui, Regional Area Manager for South Asia and GCC countries at ALTANOVA Group, said, “We play a small but critical role in the area of substation. We are the collaborators in substation automation projects and processes. We at ALTANOVA Group make instruments which help in identifying and carrying out the diagnostics of all the latest products and technologies being used in the system. So, as a test and measuring equipment manufacturer, we are collaborating with the OEMs to help them test and help them in identifying the probable problems that could be creating any kind of hiccup in the monitoring of the project. Our solutions can help increasing the condition of the assets in substation which are very expensive as well as critical.”

He adds, “Today, in terms of substation modernization, the primary objective is to move from wired technology to wireless technology, move from routine maintenance to condition-based monitoring and to reduce the human intervention as long as a substation is working properly.”

How digital substations can contribute to India’s energy needs
India is the third-largest energy consumer in the world after China and the United States. Energy consumption in India in the past decade has increased at a CAGR of more than 5 percent and is expected to rise by more than 4 percent annually in future.

Talking about how digital substations can contribute to India’s energy needs, Sreekumar said, “Today power grids are becoming increasingly more complex and dynamic thanks to renewables and decentralized power generation. This requires faster operator responses and more dynamic controls for grid stability. In this context digital substations are becoming increasingly important.”

He adds, “The data from a digital substation can also be used to perform a lot of other functions like monitoring asset performance and predictive maintenance. So, that’s where the digital substation would help in India to first fulfill our dream to be having 24/7 quality power to everyone. Also India is not a country where we can build up multiple levels of redundancy in power generation. Digital substation can help in addressing this issue as well.”

Earlier, in July 2019, Siemens had set up the Protection Automation and Control Laboratory, an integral part of POWERGRID Advanced Research and Technology Centre (PARTeC) for Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (POWERGRID) in Manesar, Haryana.

The laboratory has been designed to be used for advanced studies and research on digital substation technologies, multivendor interoperability studies, conformance tests of servers, clients and engineering tools, cyber security-related vulnerabilities and patch management activities, network optimization tests and studies, training and competency building.

This lab focuses on research in various facets of digital substations such as design optimization, vulnerability assessment, effective implementation etc. helping in accomplishing the digitalization objective of POWERGRID and benefitting the nation, a statement issued by Siemens said.

Digital substations & grid reliability
Digital substations enable electric power utilities to increase productivity, reduce footprint, increase functionality, improve the reliability of assets and improve safety for workforce.

Explaining the ‘reliability’ factor, Rahman said, “When we talk about reliability of the grid, in simple term it means that the utility owner or operators do not want any surprise in the system. Because sometimes somewhere some asset may fail or some process parameter is not set properly, which can cause some interruption in the supply or may lead to blackout like recently we had (in Maharashtra). A digital substation can enable preventing such ‘surprises’ with the help of real time data about the process and assets.”

He adds, “Our substation automation SCADA has been more focused on the process basically – the process of power flow, the generation, protection control etc. Now, we are adding the asset performance feature to our SCADA. Because it’s not only the process which is important – if even a small asset or equipment or device fails or malfunctions that creates a problem. So how do we also monitor those assets in a parallel manner, analyze it and then take action proactive action to contain any failure or interruption becomes important. That is how we can improve the reliability of the system of the substation of a grid.”

In October, Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India bagged a project from HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) which is expected to strengthen mission-critical power infrastructure at HRRL’s Barmer refinery and contribute to the Region’s economic development.

With a total processing capacity of nine million metric tonnes per annum, this project is aimed at producing clean fuels and feedstock for textile, packaging and petroleum industries. It is expected to create about 1,000 direct jobs upon completion, and up to 40,000 indirect jobs during construction, while contributing to Rajasthan’s economic development.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids will deliver a 220/66-kV substation to assimilate power from the state grid and deliver it to the Barmer refinery. gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) with its compact and low-maintenance design will be installed, enabling the refinery to conserve space. To maximize power availability the substation is equipped with advanced substation automation systems to control and protect HRRL’s grid.

ALTANOVA calls for greater collaboration
ALTANOVA offers a wide range of diagnostic and monitoring equipment for electrical assets in the field of power generation, transmission and distribution networks and process industries. ALTANOVA Group includes two leading manufacturers from Italy i.e. ISA and TECHIMP and one from USA i.e. IntelliSAW.

The more we invest in technology, the more we move towards the digital age. But more collaborative efforts will be required to get the desired results, observed Imteyaz. Citing an example he said, “Cyber security is a major issue for digital substation and we need IT professionals to collaborate with electrical engineers to deal with cyber attacks. So, now the interdependence of engineers on each other has become much more than before. Similarly, the OEMs are experts in designing their own products, they do a lot of R&D to improve upon their products, but they need the suppliers like us to give them the sensors, because unless we put the sensors inside, they won’t be able to get the required data. Thus, our sensors, software and communication technologies give relevant information to analyze the health index of a transformer, GIS or a rotating machine. So, all these challenges in the technology bring many domain experts together to give a solution which is ultimately improving the life of a consumer.”

ALTANOVA’s Global Monitoring for Substations provides an overall condition diagnostic system, designed to monitor the main substation assets: current transformer, voltage transformer, power transformers, circuit breakers, surge arresters and GIS switchgear.

A modern substation is one that can improve the flexibility and responsiveness of the transmission and distribution grid by capturing and using a lot of accurate and detailed real time data which in turn enables to control grid stability and make the grid responsive to changing conditions.
K N Sreekumar, BU Head for Digital Grid business for South Asia in Smart Infrastructure (SI) of OpCo, Siemens

When we talk about reliability of the grid, in simple term it means that the utility owner or operators do not want any surprise in the system… A digital substation can enable preventing such ‘surprises’ with the help of real time data about the process and assets.
Akilur Rahman, Chief Technology Officer, Hitachi ABB Power Grids India

Today, in terms of substation modernization, the primary objective is to move from wired technology to wireless technology, move from routine maintenance to condition-based monitoring and to reduce the human intervention as long as a substation is working properly.
Imteyaz Siddiqui, Regional Area Manager for South Asia and GCC countries, ALTANOVA Group