by Craig Palmer, PowerComm Solutions, USA
Around the time of this column’s publication, the IEEE Power & Energy Society’s Power System Communications & Cybersecurity Committee (PSCCC) is meeting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for their last of their triannual meetings for 2023. Following are some highlights from the May 2023 meeting in Las Vegas as well as items on the agenda for the September meetings in Myrtle Beach.
Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE): The United States’ Department of Energy (DOE) has undertaken a new initiative to promote “Cyber-Informed Engineering”. From the group: “The US DOE and its National Laboratories have formed a Community of Practice (COP) to advance CIE concepts through a series of working groups, including a new Standards Working Group that will examine how to integrate CIE principles across the many standards that apply in the electric utility space.” In response to this initiative, the PSCCC will hold an informative session during the September meeting series in Myrtle Beach, SC to introduce the concepts of CIE and to discuss how the PSCCC can integrate the principles and respond to industry needs.
Power Line Carrier Subcommittee (C0): In September 2023, Tony Bell will take over as Chair of the Power Line Carrier Subcommittee, with Ian Tualla, member of C0, ascending to the Vice-Chair position. Congratulations to the new leadership of C0!
The Power Line Carrier subcommittee is currently working on updates / revisions to IEEE-643: Guide for Power Line Carrier Applications, which will include a new section on advanced monitoring and analysis for PLC systems. Also underway is a revision to IEEE-C93.4: Standard for Power Line Carrier Line-Tuning Equipment (30 kHz to 500 kHz) Associated with Power Transmission Lines, which covers line tuners as well as hybrids and filters used for coupling carrier signals to the power transmission line.
The C0 Power Line Carrier subcommittee is looking for new topics to address, such as predicting and analyzing the effects of tapped transformers and tapped substations on carrier signals, modal analysis techniques, and more. Any individuals with an interest in these or other power line carrier related topics are encouraged to participate in the work of C0.
Wireline Subcommittee (E0): The Wireline Subcommittee is looking for new participants and individuals interested in leadership positions. The Wireline Subcommittee of the PSCCC is responsible for studying and reviewing engineering, operational, and testing aspects of the protection and use of all forms of single and multipurpose wire line communications systems that serve electrical power stations or that are otherwise subjected to the influence of electric power or lightning. After providing years of invaluable leadership and contributions to the subcommittee and to the industry, Mr. John E. Fuller, PE is tentatively planning to step down from his position as Chair of E0. Individuals with an interest in continuing this work are encouraged to attend the E0 meetings and/or reach out to the PSCCC leadership.
Protocols & Architecture Subcommittee (P0): Congratulations to working group P1 for succesffull balloting and approval of IEEE-C37.238a – IEEE Standard Profile for Use of IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol in Power System Applications Amendment 1: Adding a Type-Length-Value (TLV) to indicate the latest International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS)-specified Universal Time Coordinated Leap Second Event. Working group Chair Chris Huntley of SEL navigated the standard to completion and through approval and is deserving of the PSCCC’s gratitude.
P0 & S0 – IEC-61850: The PSCCC has several groups involved in work related to IEC-61850. If you are involved in this new technology and looking to contribute expertise while learning from other industry experts, the IEEE PES PSCCC is a great place to be. Work is underway to investigate mapping between IEC-61850 and IEEE-1815 (DNP3), mapping between C37.118.2 and IEC-61850, beginner’s guide to IEC-61850, revising IEC-61850-9-3-2016 (PTP profile), securing GOOSE messages, and more. Check in with the P0 subcommittee or the S0 subcommittee for more information on this great work.
And as always, be sure to follow @IEEE_PES_PSCC on Twitter and IEEE-PES-PSCC on LinkedIn for other news and announcements from the Committee!
Biography:
Craig M. Palmer received his Bachelor of Science in Electronics & Computer Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in 2011. He has worked on power system protection and communications since then, first with RFL Electronics in Boonton, NJ. He is presently Lead Application Engineer at PowerComm Solutions, where he focuses on Power Line Carrier applications for high-speed transmission line protection schemes. He is a participant in the IEEE Power System Relaying & Control Committee (PSRC), a member of the Power Line Carrier subcommittee (C0) in the Power System Communications & Cybersecurity Committee (PSCCC), present Secretary of the PSCCC, and a Senior Member of IEEE.
