Some in the industry have said that more changes have taken place in the past 5 years than the last 100 years. The changes and buzzwords include: Distributed Energy Resources (DER), wind and solar, microgrids, energy storage, electric vehicles, etc. Some would say these are emerging technologies and others would call them disruptive technologies. One thing we can all agree on is that it is an exciting and interesting time to be in the electric power industry.
One of the technologies talked about a great deal are microgrids which are self-sufficient “islands.” According to the US Department of Energy, a microgrid connects to the grid at a point of common coupling that maintains voltage at the same level as the main grid unless there is some sort of problem on the grid or other reason to disconnect. A switch can separate the microgrid from the main grid automatically or manually, and it then functions as an island.
According to Christopher N. Evanich, Microgrid Applications Director at S&C Electric Company, “Because microgrids can island, they can help ensure reliable supply if a cyberattack occurs on the grid.” But what if the microgrid itself becomes the victim of a cyberattack? Chris will make presentation at the Canada Protection Symposium in Toronto this December and will look inside a microgrid installed at Ameren, a project that is unique because its control system relies on distributed architecture, which multiplies the microgrid’s ability to maintain a defense against a cyberattack. The result of work with the military, the microgrid’s control system is the only one to receive an Authority to Operate (ATO) designation from the Department of Defense. Now operating in Champaign, Illinois, the Ameren microgrid also is one of the most complex utility microgrids built to date. It is first to be installed by an investor-owned utility that allows a microgrid to island customers on an active feeder. And it is one of the few microgrids in the world that operates at utility-scale voltages and has multiple levels of control. There is also an article titled “Ameren Illinois Builds Microgrid of the Future” in the August 2017 issue of T&D World Magazine written by Roe Pate and Tamer Rousan of Ameren.
Shuvo Chowdhury from Alectra Utilities of Ontario (formerly Power Stream) will make a presentation on the implementation of a microgrid at PowerStream. The presentation will include sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
Join the discussion on microgrids at the Canada Protection Symposium being held on Dec. 5-6 at the Westin Hotel in Toronto.
More than 20 expert speakers from the industry will share their knowledge on issues related to protection, automation, and control. Other presentations include:
- Protection: Past, Present, and Future, Kevin Donaldson, OMICRON
- System Based Testing of 72kV Line Protections, Adam Rudd, EPCOR
- System Based Testing of a Differential Protection for an Inter-Utility Submarine Cable, Jordan Hovey, P. Eng, New Brunswick Power
- Why System-Based Testing Should be Part of Your Commissioning, Christopher Pritchard, OMICRON
- Planning for the Future: The Nation's First CyberSecure Utility Microgrid at Ameren Christopher N. Evanich, S&C Electric
- Microgrid at PowerStream, Shuvo Chowdhury, PowerStream
- Traveling Wave Line Protection – Principles of Operation and Requirements for Testing, Bogdan Kasztenny, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
- Intelligence at the Edge, Byron Flynn, GE Grid Solutions
- Protection Engineering Automation, Saman Alaeddini, Quanta Technology
- Modernization of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) improves performance, safety, and productivity thru Distribution Automation, John Papakyriakou P.Eng, Power and New Ventures; The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and Dan Wycklendt, G&W Business Development Manager, LaZer Automation
- Big Data and the Challenges Utilities have with Data Management, Stefan Schlichting, OMICRON
- Best Practices to Perform Wide Area Protection Coordination Mehrdad Chapariha, Quanta Technology
- Matching Distribution Automation to circuit needs. When to use reclosers, sectionalizers, remote fault indicators and other devices, with practical advice, Doug Houseman, Burns & McDonnell
- The Future Workforce in Light of Changing Technologies in the Power Protection and Control Industry Rubaid Khan, Mohawk College of Applied Arts & Technology
- IEC 61850 Update Alex Apostolov, PAC World Magazine
- IEC 61850 Compliance and Interoperability Bench Testing: A Way to Mitigate Project Risks Keven Henry, BBA Marc-André Perron, BBA Raphaël Beaulieu, BBA
- Mastering the Complexity of Protection, Automation and Control Systems with Sophisticated Tools, Fred Steinhauser, OMICRON
One of the highlights will be a factory tour of G&W Electric in Ontario. This tour will be held on December 4, 2017 and include a welcome reception hosted by G&W. According to Patrick Avery of G&W, the facility includes 220,000 square foot facility in Brampton, Ontario. Participants will be given roundtrip transportation to and from the Westin Hotel in Toronto.
For the complete agenda on the Canada Protection Symposium visit: www.omicronenergy.com/2017CPS
