Orion Grid Automation from NovaTech Automation
Helping Utilities Build the Power Grids of Tomorrow

Orion Grid Automation from NovaTech Automation: Helping Utilities Build the Power Grids of Tomorrow

Conrad Oakey, CEO, and Ray Wright, SVP Marketing, Orion Grid Automation from NovaTech AutomationConrad Oakey, CEO, and Ray Wright, SVP Marketing
US power grids are at an evolutionary crossroad. A significant portion of the country’s existing transmission and distribution infrastructure is decades old, more frequent extreme weather events are stressing the system, the shift to renewable energy sources is creating new control and monitoring challenges, and security threats are real. The old automation solutions cannot address the demands of the new grid and retiring technical and operational expertise is making change even tougher. This is where NovaTech Automation steps in with secure, flexible “Orion” grid automation and a staff to perform the engineering, packaging, and commissioning work.

NovaTech leads the industry with Orion retrofit solutions to replace legacy substation RTUs, many of which offer no cyber security and can no longer be supported. Many of the Orion retrofit solutions can be implemented without lifting a wire, reducing nearly all downtime.

In addition, Orion integrates easily with proliferating intelligent devices in the substation and on the wires. Its pre-configured “picklists” and intuitive configuration help eliminate the substation’s dependence on disjointed proprietary systems. A single Orion serves multiple roles in the substation as the RTU, HMI, Logic Processor, Alarm Annunciator, and Sequence of Events recorder while meeting stringent NERC CIP guidelines. The same Orion can handle emerging requirements for Distribution Automation including FLISR and reactive power management. Smaller electrical coops and municipals even use the flexible Orion as their SCADA control system.

Orion is also being engineered to meet emerging challenges in renewable energy penetration. Smaller Orion “edge devices” with integral radio communication and supporting renewable energy protocols will provide solutions to integrate rooftop solar into DERMS and ADMS.
In larger grid-scale solar and wind, Orion will be enhanced with algorithms to manage the inverters, storage, reactive power devices, and grid interface to meet dynamic requirements.

“Our main aim is to help electrical utilities meet the demands of the modern grid,” mentions Ray Wright, the SVP of Marketing of NovaTech Automation. “This means products, staff and smarts for modern grid automation inside and outside the substation, clever solutions for retrofits and renewable integration.”

Supplementing Orion hardware and software is the experienced NovaTech “Systems and Services” organization with the depth to handle panel design, packaging, configuration, acceptance testing, installation, commissioning, and training. “Our Systems and Services people can help utilities implement automation in their operations. We can install it, automate it, and even package it in a rack and panel,” says Conrad Oakey, the CEO of NovaTech Automation.

An example of this approach can be found in the company’s association with a major Midwest utility that embarked on a multi-year replacement of all their Remote Terminal Units (RTUs). As part of the project, NovaTech Automation worked with the utility to custom build and configure an Orion solution to function identically to one of the brands of RTUs they were replacing.

  • Our systems and services help utilities achieve automation in their operations


The team used NovaTech Automation’s Configuration Director (NCD) to configure the new RTU to mirror the performance of the units they were replacing, including communicating using the competitor’s proprietary protocol. With the same number of communications ports, installing Orion only required bolting it to the floor, and moving cables from the old RTU to Orion once the configuration was completed. Downtime was nearly eliminated, and the utility could move forward with modern, secure automation with the flexibility to handle new challenges.

Success stories like these are powering NovaTech Automation’s journey forward. “At NovaTech Automation, we make it easier for utilities to focus on providing reliable and affordable electricity to their customers,” informs Oakey. “We will continue on this track by keeping the simple things virtually effortless and making the hard things pretty easy too.”


Orion Grid Automation from NovaTech Automation News

The Digital Substation: Thinking “Outside the Box” Could Play a Crucial Role in the Future of Substation Automation.

The potential transformation of power system substations is under consideration as virtualization gains attention among utilities. This envisaged shift involves a substantial reduction in substation hardware, with tasks being executed on cloud servers rather than relying on extensive racks of equipment. The appeal for utilities lies in significant cost reductions for design and engineering, decreased use of copper wiring, and the ability to easily replicate designs for future expansions.

Jeremy Anderson, Senior Vice President of Product Development at NovaTech Automation, highlights the current congestion and complexity in substations, emphasizing the appeal of a virtual digital substation with only two or three servers managing all tasks. To explore this future, the utilities industry has established the Virtual Protection and Control Alliance (vPAC), aiming to create a standards-based, open, interoperable, and secure architecture for power system substations.

NovaTech, a member of vPAC, has actively contributed to defining the future of substation automation. They have developed a virtual version of their Orion Substation Automation Platform, hosted on a hypervisor and powered by Intel CPUs. The Orion, known for its communication and automation capabilities, can connect to various substation devices, offering flexibility and integration with different equipment.

While some major utilities are pushing towards the concept of a "digital substation," not all have embraced this transition. Cost savings drive the interest in virtualization, as building multiple substations becomes more affordable due to reduced copper wiring and hardware costs. Recent supply chain challenges further contribute to the appeal of hardware-agnostic solutions.

The virtual Orion system, replicating the functionality of its hardware counterpart, is undergoing beta testing in Arizona, with a full release planned for February. Despite being in the early stages, the industry anticipates virtual digital substations to gain broader adoption in the next five years. Additionally, there is potential for addressing immediate challenges in substation environments, such as managing data from numerous IoT devices.

As industries undergo transformations with cloud computing and virtualization, the blueprint for the power system substation of the future is evolving, driven by collaborative efforts and expertise within the industry.

Top 10 Transmission and Distribution Solutions Companies - 2022

Company
Orion Grid Automation from NovaTech Automation

Management
Conrad Oakey, CEO, and Ray Wright, SVP Marketing

Description
For over 40 decades and counting, NovaTech Automation has been helping utilities improve operational smoothness by tapping into data intelligence and automation.