SECURITY

problems in the supply of energy.
Increased need for
data communications
Smart metering will require real-time data
connections to a large number of intelligent
energy meters, and the demand for
accurate situational awareness will require
a continuous, real-time flow of data
between the electricity network and the
SCADA system.
Data requirements vary with regard to
bandwidth, Quality of Service (QoS), latency
and real-time performance. For example,
some applications such as automated
switching or emergency response
are critical and require high-availability
communications regardless of the weather
conditions, power network load, or
other external influence.
Challenges caused by aging
and mixed communications
networks
Many legacy communications technologies
are proprietary or not based on standards,
while older technologies may be at the
end-of-life with no further development or
technical support. From a control perspective,
systems using older SCADA communication
protocols can- not provide realtime
information from elec- tricity network
elements. For example, it is only possible
to use polling with MODBUS, not eventdriven
fault management.
Increasing voice communication
Electricity company personnel depend on
voice communications. For example, mobile
workforce management is increasingly
impor- tant in order to drive greater
day-to-day efficiency, while voice may be
the only option for communications during
black start operations (the process
of restoring a power station to operation
without relying on the external electric
power transmission network, for example
using a power station's own generators).
Increasing requirements for
the availability and reliability
of the energy supply
Society depends on energy in the form
of electricity, and citizens today take it
for granted that electricity will be available
without interruptions. An electricity
network’s automated switching and
emergency response functions must therefore
continue to work properly, even
during severe weather and other adverse
conditions.
Integration of renewable and
distributed sources of energy
Electricity production is becoming highly
distributed, as facilities such as wind
farms and bio power plants come on
stream in remote areas. Micro-generation
of energy requires very efficient and flexible
control and monitor- ing of the
energy network.
Rising operational costs
As competition increases, solutions that
can drive down Capital Expenditure (CA-
PEX), Operating Expenditure (OPEX) and
Imple- mentation Expenditure (IMPEX)
become more important.
Flexible and scalable communications
help to reduce CAPEX because they can
be devel- oped little by little using gradual
investments. If communications do not
scale in line with changing needs, companies
may experience spikes in the level
of investment needed.
OPEX and IMPEX are typically lower when
products from different vendors can be
inte- grated into a flexible solution. This
is because the solutions do not overlap
and are less costly to maintain. A practical
example is when SCADA products from
different manu- facturers, running on different
protocols (such as DNP3, MODBUS,
IEC101/104) can be integrated into a
single solution.
Controlling and monitoring
the power grid using digital
radio communications
TETRA offers an effective solution to help
electricity companies tackle their current
and future communication challenges.
The solu- tion has three major elements
(see Figure 3):
1. SCADA gateways to connect the communications
network to SCADA control
systems. Gateways make se- cure, reliable
and versatile communi- cations services
available.
2. A digital TETRA radio communication
network and terminals to provide se- cure
and reliable wireless communi- cations.
Building the Smart Grid Future
3. Remote Terminal Units (RTU) con- nect
the elements in the electricity network
(such as substations, trans- formers and
breakers) and the com- munications network.
Using a TETRA network, integrated into
the power grid, provides several benefits.
People can use TETRA radios to talk to
each other using group calls or one-toone
calls, and use data services over a
communi- cations network that delivers
the highest reli- ability and availability.
In addition, voice and data communications
are fully protected by encryption
against eavesdropping, while un- authorised
access is eliminated because us- ers
must be authenticated before they can
communicate.
As a global standard, TETRA enables the
market to enjoy a wide choice of products
at competitive prices and with innovative
fea- tures. A healthy ecosystem that continues
to evolve the technology means
that solutions are future-proof and can
be used in small and large networks, so
the network can grow in line with a company’s
operations.
Many public safety network operators
can allow energy companies to use their
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