As renewable energy sources begin to displace fossil fuels, the electrical power industry must find ways to deal with the technical challenges associated with their less predictable nature. Not only are newer, cleaner sources of energy being distributed across Europe, but digital systems are also increasingly taking the place of outdated hardware for smart grids. These improvements are helping industry experts to monitor the modern power grid with greater accuracy, and in turn, allowing a more reliable electricity supply to reach end-users.

A key element of modern smart electricity grids is the digital instrument transformer. These transformers are able to provide a direct digital output to substation controllers and information systems. The transition from conventional substations - equipped with analogue instrument transformers (ITs) - to digital substations is an evolving process. Standalone merging units (SAMUs) are being used to retrofit analogue ITs into digital ITs, thereby avoiding high costs of replacing entire instruments.

Synchronisation and accurate measurement timings are also critical for the operation of a smart grid. As such, industry and metrology experts are developing new techniques and algorithms for synchronising samples to a common time reference, within and between substations.

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Projects

Metrology for the next-generation digital substation instrumentation

Short Name: FutureGrid II, Project Number: 17IND06

Non-conventional voltage and current sensors for future power grids

Short Name: FutureGrid, Project Number: ENG61

Publications

Design Approach for a Stand Alone Merging Unit

Landi, C., Gallo, D., Delle Femine, A., Cipolletta, G. and Luiso, M.

Document type: Proceeding

Project title:17IND06: FutureGrid II: Metrology for the next-generation digital substation instrumentation

Name of Call / Funding Programme: EMPIR 2017: Industry

Guards and Watchdogs in One-Way Synchronization with Delay-Related Authentication Mechanisms

Bermbach, R., Sibold, D., Heine, K., Teichel, K. and Langer, M.

Document type: Proceeding

Project title:17IND06: FutureGrid II: Metrology for the next-generation digital substation instrumentation

Name of Call / Funding Programme: EMPIR 2017: Industry

Implementation of a distributed Stand Alone Merging Unit

Del Prete, S., Delle Femine, A., Gallo, D., Landi, C. and Luiso, M.

Document type: Article

Project title:17IND06: FutureGrid II: Metrology for the next-generation digital substation instrumentation

Name of Call / Funding Programme: EMPIR 2017: Industry

Delayed authentication and delayed measurement application in one-way synchronization

Sibold, D., Teichel, K. and Hildermeier, G.

Document type: Proceeding

Project title:17IND06: FutureGrid II: Metrology for the next-generation digital substation instrumentation

Name of Call / Funding Programme: EMPIR 2017: Industry

Experimental Evaluation of Attacks on TESLA-Secured Time Synchronization Protocols

Teichel, K. and Hildermeier, G.

Document type: Proceeding

Project title:17IND06: FutureGrid II: Metrology for the next-generation digital substation instrumentation

Name of Call / Funding Programme: EMPIR 2017: Industry