Siemens has formed a global strategic alliance with the Electric Power Group (EPG), based in Pasadena, USA. The collaboration is aimed at combining Siemens’ global grid automation experience with EPG’s analytics expertise, to create an ‘intelligent’ solution to enhance grid resilience. The alliance aims to deliver advanced grid monitoring and real-time visibility by integrating EPG’s synchrophasor technology and Wide Area Monitoring Systems directly with Siemens’ power automation portfolio. The combined technology should enable utilities and grid operators confidently to manage growing grid complexity, to streamline operations, and improve grid stability and resilience.
New pressures on electricity supply networks being created by the energy transition is rapidly transforming power grids, introducing challenges from variable renewable generation and dynamic loads that make it necessary to complement the established supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA). This creates the need for a more dynamic and precise approach to grid management.
EPG’s technology is said to address this by employing high-speed, time-synchronised data to provide a real-time, comprehensive view of grid behaviour. Specifically, synchrophasors can offer very precise, GPS-synchronised measurements of voltage and current waveforms, capturing magnitude and phase angle multiple times per second. The WAMS then collects and processes this data from numerous points, providing a dynamic, holistic, and real-time perspective of the entire grid.
Significant benefits
The joint solution is expected to offer significant benefits to transmission and distribution system operators, energy companies, and operators of critical power infrastructure. Key points include improved grid stability through real-time monitoring, faster fault detection and response to reduce the risk of downtime, and enhanced situational awareness for grid operators.
“This collaboration represents a significant advancement in grid intelligence. Precise, synchronised data acquisition via EPG – integrated into our automation solutions – enables enhanced transparency and improved predictive control. This is a key element of a resilient, self-optimising grid of the future that not only manages the complexity of the energy transition but actively shapes it,” said Bernd Meyer, VP of Research & Development at Siemens Smart Infrastructure.
“The partnership’s long-term framework agreement enables a standardised and scalable deployment model for projects across the globe. The open and interoperable design of the WAMS architecture ensures seamless integration into existing grid infrastructure, providing a scalable solution for both regional and national grids,” said Vikram Budhraja, CEO of EPG.
