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Smart Grids for the Energy Market

Instead of merely distributing energy, the interplay between decentralized producers and consumers
must be intelligently coordinated. This requires sophisticated digitalization strategies and business models.

High-tech control systems and IT form the basis for digitalizing the energy system: Controllers coordinate the decentralized systems, ensure easy and secure communication in the smart grid and store measurement data that's protected against cyberattacks in the cloud.
WAGO offers the right solutions and concepts today for every step of the process.

Smart Grids: More Communication in Energy Grids

An energy consumer needs communication, both between the individual stakeholders and interest groups as well as in technical terms: To get a grip on the increasing decentralization and fluctuation of power generation, the individual components of the energy system must be linked to each other in smart grids across sectors. The start is in the electricity sector: Modern automation technology, integrated into decentralized suppliers, intelligent distribution substations and virtual power plants optimizes control of the distribution grid. Modernizing the gas and heat grid is the next step, and WAGO provides the necessary controllers. Advantages of WAGO's solution:

Reliable energy grid measurement, control and regulation
Process automation, load management
Secure and economical access to remote systems
Broad product portfolio
Proven, rugged products
All relevant worldwide approvals
Maximum signal level and bus protocol flexibility
Easy configuration
Cybersecurity: PFC100/PFC200 controllers comply with current IT security regulations for grid operators and can be hardened as described in the BDEW white paper.
Cloud connectivity: Connection to the cloud thanks to an MQTT software upgrade

Digital Energy Trade

The blockchain, a digital account book, enables direct transactions between generators and consumers. WAGO explains exactly how this works and what it may mean for the future.

Integrated Energy: Electricity, Heat and Transmission Grow Together

With decentralization and digitization of the electricity sector, heat and mobility have become priorities for utility providers. The energy transition only works with storage systems. In contrast to the electrical grid, the heat and gas networks offer greater capacities. For that reason, power-to-heat and power-to-gas systems are becoming more important. They can use excess green electricity to produce heat, along with storable hydrogen and methane. WAGO already supplies manufacturers of such systems. At the same time, we support suppliers in modernizing their heat and gas networks, a task made necessary by energy sector linkage and the resultant increasing complexity of energy flows. And the industry-proven WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM serves as the automation platform. Advantages of WAGO's solution:

Automation solutions
Maximum flexibility
Direct applications in Ex Zone 2
Direct wiring of intrinsically safe signals from Ex zones to intrinsically safe Ex i modules
Integrated IEC 60870, IEC 61850 and DNP 3.0 telecontrol protocols
PLC Functionality
Webserver

Cloud Connectivity: Data Analysis in Cloud Computing

The cloud can offer significant advantages to the energy sector with its computing capacity. As an example, wind farm operators can increase power production and optimize wind farm maintenance by analyzing turbine data in the cloud, or grid operators can use system data and weather forecasts to better predict grid status. WAGO PFC100 and PFC200 Controllers are used to connect to the cloud thanks to a firmware update and the respective library in the IEC program. The controllers can then automatically transmit field-level values to the cloud at definable intervals. Communication is secured by an encrypted TLS connection using the MQTT protocol. Advantages of WAGO Cloud Data Control for your own cloud application:

Distributed data acquisition and visualization from anywhere
Connect to WAGO Cloud Data Control, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services or IBM Bluemix using a standardized MQTT protocol
High level of security thanks to TLS encryption
Connect the field level directly to a cloud
Expansion of existing systems with the PFC as an IoT gateway
Possible with all PFC100 and PFC200 Controllers

Your Wire to the Cloud

Record energy data, digitalize and network together – this is the key concept in the decentralized energy market. A simple upgrade transforms the WAGO PFC100 and PFC200 Controllers into IoT controllers that transmit data from the field level to the cloud, where the information can be aggregated and used for analysis.

Cybersecurity: Denying Access to Hackers

There can be serious consequences for energy producers if they aren't securely connected to the Internet. Cybercriminals can use system controllers to hack into control centers and shut them down, jeopardizing the power supply and even threatening wide-range blackouts in a worst-case scenario. The good news: Operators now know the dangers and cybersecurity is becoming more important. WAGO controllers will play a crucial role in your company's security policies and procedures. PC-based operating systems must receive weekly security updates as they do not otherwise provide sufficient cybersecurity; the hardened firmware of a WAGO controller, however, does meet the corresponding security requirements. Advantages of WAGO's solution:

Both PFC100 and PFC200 Controllers are characterized by a cross-platform real-time Linux.
The PFC Controllers use an open-source operating system that can be scaled, updated and supports tools such as Rsync.
The Linux® foundation supports essential security protocols and is constantly being enhanced.
Support for CODESYS PLC runtime
Interface and fieldbus variety: CANopen, PROFIBUS DP, DeviceNet, IEC 60870, IEC 61850, DNP 3 and Modbus TCP
Fulfills the highest security requirements per ISO-27000 series
On-board VPN functionality: VPN tunnel possible via IPsec or OpenVPN directly
Data encoding in the controller directly via SSL/TLS 1.2 encryption
Parallel data access: Data transmission to the cloud via MQTT or OPC UA, also wireless
WAGO meets all relevant guidelines in the area of IT security, and even a large number of the requirements from the German government’s BDEW white paper for applications in the field of energy and water supply. BDEW requirements are part of the “critical infrastructure” (KRITIS).
PFC200 can be used as a scalable node