Importance of Remote Access Solutions in Substations
Electricity has become so paramount that we cannot imagine a minute without it. It has been a complicated affair for the maintainers, technicians, and engineers from utilities to ensure the availability of power 24×7. They have to carry out regular inspections, undertake preventive/ corrective maintenance, and assign a team for inspections often. The power failure can cause a furor. And utilities will have to run around to find out the defects. The time delay in investigating the defect and rectification of the same can affect the reputation and can cause negative remarks for the utility.
Remote access of the equipment is vital for the smooth functioning of an electrical substation
The engineers and technicians have to keep data on the computer or maintain a register for monitoring and preventive maintenance. So that the preventive maintenance could be scheduled accordingly. A system to monitor the monitor and remote access of the equipment is vital for the smooth functioning of an electrical substation and the organization handling it. To publicize regarding the preventive maintenance and a possible power failure as part of it.
The substation may have to be visited by the technicians, supervisory staff, and engineers for physical inspection of the components and associated systems. In some cases, utilities need to contact and send OEM experts who have a better knowledge of the system to identify the problem and rectifying those. It may not be feasible many times. Adverse climatic conditions, lack of a suitable vehicle to reach the remote area, or a situation similar to the prevailing conditions, wherein travel is restricted to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This can severely affect the operation of substations.
In addition, the prevailing scenario, wherein the country is under lockdown along with travel restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid19, the troubleshooting and rectification of faults may not be possible easily and in time. This will also affect the availability of OEM experts to undertake repairs to liquidate the defects. Also, it could result in a complete breakdown of the electrical grid.
Remote Access of Transmission & Distribution substation
Remote access of equipment and devices in transmission and distribution substation is of ample importance during such scenarios. It is an inevitable function required to ensure a continuous supply of energy.
The remote access of transmission and distribution substation is not only meant for maintenance and settings of the substation devices but also to have frequent monitoring of the equipment. Thus, the maintainers can institute necessary preventive maintenance practices. Further, remote systems will pinpoint the defective component to undertake corrective maintenance. Thereby, reducing the downtime due to the elaborate defect investigation procedure. The data regarding the frequently failing component of the substation and the reasons for the defect would be available in the remote access log. The OEMs can analyze the data and embody the necessary maintenance of the substation assets.
What is the solution to these problems?
The systems used for preventive maintenance of transmission and distribution substations are installed with a role-based secure remote access management. Providing the option to do remote diagnostics, troubleshooting, configuration, and update of the assets using a single solution. This will enhance the efficacy of the technical department in the electrical substation.
Electricity is also very dangerous. Hence the technicians have to observe all the safety precautions while handling and repair. Even then, a defective electrical component can turn lethal. It can cause damage to the substation or result in loss of life.
The remote access of transmission and distribution substations also aid in improving the man and material security. It does not need the physical presence of a man for inspections to a certain extent. Thus may be helpful in preventing a possible mishap due to the malfunctioning of the systems.
Remote device access solutions connect the computer device with the remote substation. By this, the operator or technician can perform troubleshooting and device configuration sitting at the safety of the office. The security feature includes role-based data access. Therefore, no one will have every control/data. The persons assigned only will gain essential controls of the system or substation which he is permitted to do. Thereby, precluding any kind of security lapse.
The Kalki.io remote device access pack is specifically designed to provide control and management of substation device programming port and engineering tool. The connectivity could be through either private or public networks. Besides, the device agent enables secure connectivity between modems or communication modules.
The remote access to transmission and distribution substation is the future for the maintenance and operations of the electrical grid. So everything has to be system-controlled. With this technology, the human effort for maintenance, repair, and replacement would be reduced. The maintenance and manpower costs will reduce to a large extent, which is beneficial for the organization. The expenditure/ profit ratio will improve in favor of the organization.
Author Bio –
Shine is a tech enthusiast and blogger who likes to read and write about the latest technologies. His expertise in IoT is vivid in this article and he has created several blogs for kalki.io, a cloud-based acquisition software for energy IoT platforms.
