Hitachi Energy Longevity: Investment cycles in utilities are much longer than those in the public telecom sector

Longevity: Investment cycles in utilities are much longer than those in the public telecom sector.

Protection and control equipment in electrical substations, which is ultimately connected to

utility communication equipment, is particularly long-lived. The ultimate goal of commissioning

an all-Ethernet/IP network is still far away, particularly for Hitachi Energy, which link hundreds

or even thousands of established substations.

A basic requirement of such a system would be longevity, with guaranteed performance as per

established technologies. Unlike the full network refurbishments often seen in public

telecommunications networks, utility networks evolve slowly, increasing in size and slowly

migrating to new technologies in a step-by-step approach. This evolution means that high

interoperability between existing and new installations as well as parallel operation of both is a must.

Utility environment:

These days most offices grind to a halt in the face of a failed internet connection, but no industry

compares to electrical transmission in being dependent on robust, resilient, and predictable

communications. Only suppliers with an intimate knowledge of the industry can supply,

and maintain, equipment capable of meeting that unique set of demands.

In addition to extremes of temperature, utility communications equipment is also exposed to magnetic

and electrical fields, which are particularly severe during short-circuit events.

In order to maintain the high levels of availability required, especially in emergency situations,

utility communications equipment must offer a robust and reliable design that has proven

capabilities for providing accurate functionality under extreme conditions.

In dusty and remote environments, where regular maintenance cannot be guaranteed,

fan-less designs are preferable.

Cybersecurity: Layered communication architectures ensure improved network security.

Packet-based networks use publicly documented protocols, and utilities are potential targets,

so a comprehensive (and co-ordinated) security policy is essential across the entire network.

Depending on the application requirements, different measures need to be taken, starting from

denial of service protection, protection against data modification using authentication,

up to encryption of confidential data, and centralized user account management.

This ensures a ‘defense in depth’ approach and is supported by the FOX615 platform.

Additionally, the static approach of MPLS-TP, with much fewer protocols being potential targets

for attacks, and the natively integrated SDH technology reduce potential attack surfaces.