Showcasing future-proof substation automation solutions

Advantech is participating in the 28th Conference and Exhibition on Electricity Distribution (CIRED). The Show is among the world's leading energy distribution conferences, attracting thousands of delegates from Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), Distribution System Operators (DSOs), utilities and technology providers. The event provides a global platform to share insights into the latest technologies and solutions addressing key technical and operational challenges in the sector.

The company's presence at the event will reflect its key position as a trusted global partner in substation automation, showcasing hardware and software solutions developed in collaboration with leading ecosystem partners. It is renowned for its expertise gained through strong partnerships with technology leaders such as Nvidia, Intel, Microsoft, and Broadcom (formerly VMware) and through active participation in technology alliances such as the vPAC Alliance for virtualised protection and control, the E4S Alliance (Edge for Smart Secondary Substation), and the 450MHz Alliance, which promotes secure, resilient wireless connectivity for critical infrastructure.

Visitors will find the largest range of hardware to cope with the digitalisation and virtualisation of the electricity grid's automation, protection, and control – vital for today's and tomorrow's networks that incorporate increasingly large percentages of renewable energy sources, as well as the greater demands on the supply from electrical mobility. On display will be IEC 61850-3 certified platforms, including industrial servers and Ethernet switches, as well as secure remote connectivity solutions developed in line with the specifications of the vPAC and the E4S alliances.

Live demonstrations and exhibits on the stand will highlight how the company and its ecosystem partners are facilitating virtualised, connected and intelligent substations. These will include compute platforms for virtualised protection relays and substation control for high and medium-voltage applications, as well as the E4S platform for secondary substations.

Key live demos will feature:

• Centralised and Virtualised Protection and Control with ABB: Demonstration of the SSC600 Smart Substation Control and Protection device
• AI-Driven Substation Automation and Monitoring with EcoPhi: AI-driven substation automation and monitoring using CMPC 800 and QMU 800 platforms, virtualising key functions such as protection, PQ metering, PMU, partial discharge, AMI, and DFR.
• Virtualised Cybersecurity for Substation Automation with Fortinet: Leveraging the Advantech ECU-579 power automation server, the solution allows to build virtual substation cybersecurity functions with the Industry-leading NGFW Fortinet Fortigate NFV, enabling network segmentation, threat detection, real-time monitoring, logging and reporting, remote access control and advanced SD-WAN functionalities.
• Two live demonstrations with partner Kalkitech, including DER integration using ECU-150 as a Sunspec-compliant gateway and E4S platform prototype featuring a System Management Interface and multi-vendor application environment.
• And finally, a live demo by Advantech: WebAccess/DMP for Secure Management and Remote Asset Monitoring, which centralises router monitoring, VPN automation, and network visibility using WireGuard VPN.

Paul O'Shaughnessy, Energy and Utilities sector head at Advantech, says: "Digitalising the electrical grid at scale is a major challenge for DSOs, TSOs and their technology partners, from OEMs and System Integrators to application software companies. At Advantech, we offer the industry's broadest range of IEC 61850-3 certified hardware to support real-time protection, control, connectivity and cybersecurity, all of them being key building blocks for modern, intelligent substations. For each technical and operational challenge in the sector, Advantech has a product to help you overcome it."

Visit Advantech at CIRED 2025, Booth O9, Hall 1, 16-19 June 2025, to explore the future of virtualised, connected, and intelligent substations.