Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) penetration trend is strongly impacting most of electric utilities around the world. In fact, grid complexity is increasing, and utilities are now facing new challenges such as unpredictable bidirectional power flow, MV harmonic pollution and grid management revolution.
Like a smartphone for the grid, Gridspertise’s Quantum Edge® device (QEd), can be the key element to face this new scenario thanks to its edge-intelligence and multi-purpose concept.
QEd is an all-in-one platform for apps that run using edge computing and can be complementary to DERMS software, providing grid operators with real-time observation and automated control of DERs.
What is QEd?
QEd is the new Gridspertise’s platform that virtualizes all the classic devices usually installed in electrical substations such as RTUs, Protection relays, Modems, Routers and Data meter concentrator, while unlocking cutting-edge functionalities and use-cases. Thanks to its multi-purposes concept QEd is the keystone to merge OT and IT ecosystems to maximize the resiliency and efficiency of the grid while simplifying maintenance operations and improving network sustainability. The main use-cases are:
Innovative Use Cases
- Power Quality edge-computing
- DER Gateway & Controller
- Advanced PMUs management
Standard Use Cases
- Multi-feeder Protection Relay and BCU
- Recloser controller and Self-healing enabler
- Virtual Smart Meter data concentrator
Power Quality Edge-computing
QEd is able to interconnect with Gridspertise’s Class A or Class S Power Quality devices to retrieve data and performs AI algorithms in a groundbreaking way, detecting “on-the-edge” any harmonic pollution trend that might impact quality of services and/or increase technical losses on the network. As “Active gateway” QEd, thanks to its embedded edge computing capability, can minimize the bandwidth usage on IT infrastructure, and the related power consumption. This functionality can be also enabled for small utilities and for those situated in remote areas.
DER Gateway and Controller
The increase of DERs requires new devices and platforms to cope with bidirectional flow challenges and unlock non-wires alternatives to transform DERs into reliable resources for DSOs and TSOs when it comes to grid resiliency and stability. QEd can provide a solid help with congestion management and DER/traditional generation balancing thanks to advanced functionalities such as load shedding/curtailment, power factor remote setting, load shelving/shifting and Volt/Var optimization
Advanced PMUs network
QEd integrates an embedded Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) to estimate the magnitude and phase angle of an electrical phasor quantity (such as voltage or current) using a common time source for synchronization (GSP or IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol). The resulting measurement is known as a synchro phasor. These time synchronized measurements are important because if the grid’s supply and demand are not perfectly matched, frequency imbalances can cause stress on the grid, which is a potential cause for power outages. Although PMUs are commonly used for HV applications, they can now help utilities to manage DER penetration in the MV grid as well. Thanks to its embedded PMU, QEd can measure the frequency in the grid with unmatched accuracy; this helps engineers in analyzing fast dynamic events which would not possible with traditional SCADA measurements (generating one measurement every 2 or 4 seconds). Grid resiliency can be enhanced thanks to micro-PMUs: synchronized real time measurements help utilities to deal with high-impedance earth faults and identify with unmatched accuracy the exact fault location. Moreover, grid stability management can take advantage of several interconnected QEd devices to calculate the virtual inertia of the grid and explore new operating limits to maximize existing infrastructures capabilities.
Multi-feeder Protection and BCU
QEd can perform protection functions (overcurrent, directional overcurrent, directional Earth-fault, over/sub voltage, over/sub frequency, ROCOF, broken conductor, etc.) for several MV feeders simultaneously helping grid operators reduce the footprint of electrical equipment and optimizing its cost. Moreover, Bay Control Unit functionalities such as syncro-check and transform monitoring are available to properly manage unintentional islanding and grid-reconnection. Thanks to the virtualization of protection functions, QEd allows to reduce Capex through a minimized Control Room space and reduce maintenance expenses through remote updates.
Recloser Controller and Self-Healing enabler
Leveraging on its embedded functionality designed to allow utilities to completely customize the reclosing shots, the QEd can act as recloser controller for MV reclosers and enable advanced communication capabilities thanks to its embedded modem and high-performances router. Moreover, QEd is fully integrated with Gridspertise’s GAM platform (Grid Automation Management), a customizable software layer - based on decades of expertise in complex grid management - allowing QEd to be integrated in every SCADA to help grid operators minimizing SAIDI while reinforcing grid resiliency.
