Future-proofing Britain’s energy infrastructure

Naturally, developed economies are not at high risk of power blackouts, apart from in the most extreme of circumstances. However, as the current infrastructure continues to age, industry leaders should begin to review the operational lifespan of this capital equipment to avoid blackouts in the future.

Martyn Williams, Managing Director, COPA-DATA UK, discusses the role the IoT plays in the energy sector.

The state of Britain’s substations

Recent years have seen an influx of new standards, regulations and carbon reduction targets inundate the energy industry - not to mention a mounting customer demand. Combined with the introduction of Ofgem’s framework to set price controls for network companies (RIIO), the growing trend towards microgeneration and rising pressure to consider alternative generation technology, leading or managing an energy business has never been so complex.

What’s more, accommodating these adjustments with ageing infrastructure - including over 400,000 substations, many of which are incredibly isolated - is both geographically and technologically challenging to say the least.

Substations were originally designed as islands of automation, unable to transfer data back to the network without manual intervention. For example, without connected infrastructure, an engineer would have had to physically visit the substation to export the assets and data necessary to conduct and examine a thorough off-site analysis of transmission data from a specific substation.

During the time it would take to complete this procedure, the information that the engineer had gathered would have become out of date and, as a result, the report would retain little value. Moreover, if the data shows any sign of failure or deterioration of power generation, it would be almost impossible to pinpoint the cause of the problem, as the engineer wouldn't have access to any real-time or corresponding data.

Connecting the islands of automation

The first step to combat these challenges is to deploy intelligent SCADA software. Using IoT led architecture, our intrepid substation engineer could automatically collect data and archive it in the cloud. By storing all substation data in a centralised network, engineers can analyse real-time and historical data of any substation in the network, regardless of their individual location.

Collecting process data is a positive step forward for the energy sector and its use of IoT, but if this huge expanse of data is left to gather dust, the information will be rendered useless. When choosing SCADA software, it is important to look for an application that can also deliver business intelligence through its data, using automated analysis.

According to a recent statement by Gartner, the adoption of big data analytics technology is one of the key trends in the energy sector, especially for organisations hoping to reduce costs and enhance their competitive advantage.

Some SCADA applications, will deliver this through predictive analytics. Combining real-time and historical reports of energy transmission, with the datasets of other substations in the network, the software will generate a comprehensive overview of each substations performance and in turn, the predicted lifespan of its capital equipment.

Risks of ignoring ageing infrastructure

Britain’s outdated energy infrastructure is quickly becoming a major challenge for the sector. The ageing substations used for power distribution could easily cancel out the industry’s ability to provide a reliable and cost-effective provision for its users.

Other developed industrial nations, including the United States, have already suffered from power shortages due to the vulnerability of infrastructure. In the case of the US, this cost the country's economy billions. Considering the serious financial implications in the United Kingdom, it is essential that the industry future-proofs its infrastructure, instead of overlooking the rising risks.

SCADA systems have already established their role as the reigning king of monitoring and control in industrial facilities. For Britain’s widely dispersed energy infrastructure, a greater uptake of IoT technologies and SCADA software would not only improve operational control of substations, but extend their lifespan too.