Technical scope

Evolving technologies and future networks

New protection principles and algorithms.
New software solutions for protection systems.
Digital substations: protection aspects and architectures
Application, design, and best practices for timing and synchronisation in protection systems.
Application, design, and cyber security for protection communications and integrated systems.
IED functional integration and impact on reliability, availability, and maintainability.
Protection-focused condition monitoring and situational awareness.
Protection issues related to conventional and non-conventional instrument transformers: experience and lessons learned.
Impact of the energy crisis on protection technology evolution.
Protection of long-distance HVDC cable and/or overhead-line circuit connection.

High-voltage and ultra-high-voltage transmission networks.
Distribution and low voltage networks.
Offshore networks.
Microgrids and islanded networks.
DC networks and point-to-point DC links in AC networks.
Converter-dominated networks with reduced fault current and lower inertia.
Impact of grid codes and standards on network operation and protection.
Impact of energy crisis on network operation and protection.
Impact of weather on network operation and protection.
Grid connection protection and control issues of distributed generation and large renewables.
AI applications in protection and control systems.
Data analytics, cloud, use of AI for protection relay testing, management, fault record analysis, fault detection, and setting optimisation.
Cybersecurity issues with protections.
Load or generation shedding.

Asset protection: generators, heat pumps, motors and other elements not available in distribution or transmission grids.
Busbar transfer schemes.
Issues with islanded and grid-connected plants.
Surveillance in real time of grid code accomplishment.

System integrity schemes, wide area monitoring, protection, and control, and Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU).
Impact of power oscillations in protection and how to deal with them.
Protection issues during black start and network restoration.
Protection of electric transport systems.
Configuration management and maintenance and obsolescence strategies for protection systems.
Human aspects in protection and control.
Commissioning and testing procedures and tools.
DC applications in customers supply from renewables.

How to deal with non-deterministic performance.
Scaling virtualisation: From one bay to the whole substation. Challenges and opportunities.
Possibilities of virtualisation for specific applications not used so far (remote maintenance, asset supervision, AI deployment, data analysis, etc).
Standardisation.
Models of responsibility: when the hardware and the application are developed by different vendors.