Satellite Communication for Energy Reclosers

This article will show how the use of the satellite brought efficiency and cost reduction in the communication of these equipment and the Centres of Operation and Distribution.

Flávia Jardim – Journalist

An efficient communication between the Centres of Operation and Distribution of Energy and the reclosers is fundamental in the quick reestablishment of electric energy during critical moments, like storms and blackouts.

Nevertheless, the preferred solution used by many companies who use traditional technologies – radio and cellular – has shown to be flawed numerous times, causing loss of signal and instability. When this communication is interrupted, the displacement of field crews to the locations become necessary, which generates costs and a delay in the reestablishment of electricity for the population.

The problem in the use of radio is its infrastructure that is too complicated and expensive to be used in distant equipment. Now cellular technology, due to signal instability, low reliability and limited coverage, present flaws especially in moments where the communication between the closers and the centres is crucial.

Because of this, some companies, like Energisa, who is responsible for the distribution of energy in various regions in the country, chose satellite communication as the communication channel for many of its equipment.

There are innumerous advantages in this type of communication:

– High availability, including in remote areas where there is no coverage of traditional means of communication.

– Antennas are easy to be installed.

– Reduction in the costs of operations due to its efficiency.

Aiming to offer a complete solution, Velp developed vSkyRecloser, a program that unites all the advantages of satellite communication with a firmware created exclusively for this use, which reduces the volume of transmitted data, boosts performance and lowers the cost for energy companies.

The vSkyRecloser can be utilized as a main channel of communication, when there is no coverage of traditional means or as a complementary channel in places where the transmission of data via cellular technology is possible. Energisa uses the solution, created in partnership with Telespazio, in six Brazilian states.

In his article about the subject, (Robustness and Reliability in Smart Grid Solutions), the application engineer of the satellite company Orbicomm, Reinaldo Burian, emphasised that the ideal solution for the implementation of the Smart Grid must be highly reliable, work in any part of the power grid and supply all the information necessary for a efficient administration, with investments and low operational costs.

“In this way, the solution developed by Velp has fully met the necessities of distribution companies, as after the system implementation the availability of communication between the protection equipment installed in the field increased. Moreover, when compared with other solutions in the market, we can notice that it reduces the need to send out specialized teams for the instalment and the need of maintenance of equipment in the field.”

Examples of Implementation

Situation 1 – An example of this solution is its implementation in a satellite telemetry terminal, installed in a rural zone, where there is no cellular or radio coverage infrastructure. In this configuration, the satellite is the point of connection between areas where coverage, by cellular or radio, is completely unavailable.

Picture 1 – Satellite terminal in areas without cellular coverage.

Situation 2 – In another situation, consider that there is infrastructure of coverage for cellular solutions, but in critical moments, like storms or a high demand in communication, where there is loss of signal, it is used as a satellite. With the objective to raise reliability and availability, it is possible to install a satellite telemetry terminal with dual characteristics. In other words, the terminal will work just as well in satellite mode as in cellular mode, because the channels are locked automatically, depending on the presence of, or lack thereof, signal coverage.

Picture 2 –  Telemetry Terminal in areas with cellular coverage.

Reference: Robustness and Reliability in Smart Grid Solutions