What is a Digital Transforming Station and why does it improve the medium voltage grid?

The Digital Transforming Station arises from the need to evolve and digitize the grid to integrate new infrastructures and technologies for everyday use

The evolution of the power grid, driven by the process of decarbonization and electrification in the society, has led to increasingly active components. One of these is the Digital Transforming Station, which evolved from the traditional transforming substation and serves to connect the medium and low voltage grids, transforming electrical energy safely.

The energy transition relies on the efficient and stable integration of renewable energy generation—from both power plants and end users—along with energy storage systems like BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) and the electric vehicle charging grid. These new actors, each critically important, have introduced a significant technological challenge for grid stabilization, as their simultaneous connection can destabilize the grid, requiring enhanced monitoring and control. In this scenario, the Digital Transforming Station emerges as the best plug-and-play solution for the market. Let’s see why.

The main difference between a digital and a traditional transforming station is that the digital substation is a natively digital solution. Every primary component within the transforming substation is interconnected, as well as connected to the control center that operates the electrical grid. This connectivity enables real-time data gathering on events occurring within these grid nodes, allowing for remote monitoring and control over various parameters: current, voltage, power levels, load curves of each outgoing line, and more.

This data helps power companies identify potential imbalances or grid saturation points, enabling them to respond to various events and alarms, and to generate predictive methods to reduce the number of future incidents. This crucial (r)evolution boosts grid management efficiency and facilitates tasks such as the maintenance, the connection of new generation and/or consumption nodes, or the reconfiguration of existing grids.

The information provided by these digital transforming stations, coordinated with that from smart meters, allows for the identification of issues or instabilities by line and phase, reducing the number of users impacted by potential problems.

Key Components of a Digital Transforming Station

While the digital transforming station is a turnkey solution, it consists of several different elements:

Medium Voltage Switchgear

• Equipped with protection and automation units
• Enables remote control and monitoring of the substation opening and closing to cut or restore service once an issue is resolved.

Automated Low Voltage Switchboard:

• Bases with automated circuit breakers and load-break disconnect switches (optional)
• Allows remote operation, control, and protection of the low voltage grid.

Smart Medium Voltage Transformer:

• Equipped with on-load tap changer (OLTC) and control units
• Selects the optimal tap to stabilize voltage automatically based on grid demands

Concrete enclosure adapted to project needs

Key Advantages of the this kind of transforming stations

We can group the advantages of the Digital Transforming Station into these main aspects:

1. Optimization of CAPEX & OPEX for the electrical grid
2. Comprehensive remote management
3. Coordination with other digital grid elements, such as smart meters and control centers
4. Stability of the electrical grid when interconnecting new players
5. Real-time monitoring