Intel’s technology is helping power the Edge for Smart Secondary Substations (E4S) Alliance’s new solution to modernize the energy grid. The E4S solution is designed to move existing substation energy systems from a proprietary, closed-hardware architecture to an open, flexible, software-defined energy system.

In Europe, there are more than 17 million secondary substations, which enable medium- to low-voltage power conversion. The E4S solution is designed to digitalize future secondary substations with modular silicon-enhanced technology. It is seen as key to moving to greater use of renewable energy resources.

The E4S power technology at the substation makes the grid more flexible and able to better accommodate more renewable energy sources when available. Implementing the solution at a single substation reduces carbon dioxide by an equivalent of taking as many as 1,800 gasoline-powered cars off the road, based on estimates from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

The E4S secondary substation solution includes AI and Internet of Things capabilities and networking technology.  It allows energy providers to adapt to rapidly changing demands and determine the best energy source. More renewable and intermittent clean energy sources can be selected in real-time at the edge of the grid. It provides for real-time radio and cable communications between utilities and their substations, with real-time execution at the edge. This enables integration of applications to deepen analytics through data, such as weather predictions, maintenance schedules, or the effects of nature and climate change on transmission equipment.

The solution also helps make the energy grid more resilient, allowing access to different energy sources regardless of physical location. It also allows energy providers to determine power allocation more precisely during emergencies. Instead of turning all energy lines off or implementing rolling blackouts, operators can adapt to changing energy consumption needs during crises and better keep critical areas and customers powered on.

By moving to a virtualized software platform, the E4S solution supports new digital applications that enable advanced management in operations, remote support capabilities, faster application deployment and upgrades, real-time data analytics, and higher levels of cybersecurity. It can perform those functions without sacrificing safety and reliability. It also decreases capital costs by avoiding waste and distributing energy in the most efficient way possible. And it reduces operating costs by offering insight into each substation and supporting predictive maintenance.

A similar version of grid modernization technology for primary substations – the Virtual Protection, Automation and Control (vPAC) solution – is also being deployed in the United States. It is being developed in collaboration with the vPAC Alliance, a consortium of energy ecosystem partners and utilities, including Southern California Edison, Salt River Project and American Electric Power. One partner’s version of the technology has already been adopted by nearly 100 utilities across the globe. Predictions released from Salt River Project estimate the vPAC solution will save approximately 50% on related capital expenditure and 75% on related operational expenditure once implemented across its grid.

The E4S Alliance includes: ABB, Ariadna Grid, Barbara, Capgemini, Circutor, Dell Technologies, Enedis, E-REDES, Gridspertise, Iberdrola, Intel, Kalkitech, Labelec, Landis+Gyr, Merytronic, Minsait, Ormazabal, Sagemcom, Schneider Electric, TTTech Industrial, UFD (Grupo Naturgy), VMware and ZIV Automation.

“With almost 30 million substations worldwide, Intel is powering a tremendous opportunity to reduce climate footprints by adopting cleaner energy sources — an important milestone as countries work toward net-zero global greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mike Bates, general manager of Intel’s Energy Centre of Excellence. “Our technology jump-starts the evolution of the traditional electric grid to a smarter, more resilient flexible grid capable of successfully integrating large percentages of renewables at the transmission and distribution levels.”