Wide-area Differential Protection

SSE Networks is one of the UK’s three transmission system operators. Over the next two years SSE Networks will integrate 80 GW of renewable energy sources on their network, and the location of these new grid connections can often be in very remote and inaccessible locations in the Scottish highlands.

Through careful planning and intense collaboration, we delivered an IEC 61850 based unit protection scheme which can be operated without any buildings or networks between the multiple ends of a complex, three ended circuit spanning over 30 km.

To make this new approach operable in practice, we proved interoperability with the protection relays of three different vendors. The effort in the innovation project will pay back impressively for operators by providing robust differential current unit protection for new grid connections for less cost, saving an estimated 60%of the conventional capital cost of such instrumentation and protection schemes.

For more information on this project, please contact us.