Efficient Plant July/August 2021 - 27

feature | solution focus
A web-based
SCADA system has
dramatically cut
costs and greatly
simplifi ed setup
and operations for
Southwest Electric
Cooperative.
ities where engineers may operate as both
relay and substation engineers.
" As a small co-op, our engineers wear
many hats, " explained Williams. " We needed
a solution that would be easy to install,
use, program, and manipulate in order to gather
the data that we need to manage our network. "
One of the big advantages is confi gurability.
Modern web-based GUIs can be easily confi gured
so that faceplates match what they look like in the
fi eld on the screen. Further, the confi gurations
use unlicensed soſt ware to make the changes,
which reduces costs. NovaTech integrates an
XML protocol to transfer data into custom webpages.
Inkscape plug-ins are included to simplify
point selection for graphics libraries and to create
NovaTech provides a library of more
than 500 pre-engineered " points
pick lists " for the commonly applied
substation IEDs. This is particularly
helpful for smaller utilities where
engineers may operate as both relay
and substation engineers.
viewing data without having worked with a
NovaTech product.
MAINTENANCE, SECURITY
Th e elimination of annual ongoing licensing
fees and the need to rely on the SCADA vendor
for installation and maintenance was a major cost
savings. " We were paying tens of thousands of
dollars a year in ongoing costs to maintain our
legacy SCADA, " said Williams. " Soſt ware licensing
was a major part of this expense. "
Security is also a key consideration for utilities
that typically need to be compliant with
North American Electric Reliability Corporation
Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP)
additional interfaces that are not pre-packaged.
" Using Inkscape, our team can create a template, then plug the
numbers and the functions into it, " said Victor Buehler, Vice President
of IT at Southwest Electric. " We did not initially plan on tying
in near points to the SCADA system, but we have since been able to
easily add them aſt er installation. "
Integrated into modern GUIs are built-in alarm annunciators and
email notifi cations when thresholds are exceeded. NovaTech stores
alarms, tags, SOE points, and fi les in a non-volatile expanded memory
within an open object-relational database-management system.
" Emails are automatically sent to us for breaker operations, undervoltage
situations, things of that nature, " said Buehler. " We can
have a notifi cation based on a change or a set point for essentially
any data we are bringing in. Th is ensures we're aware of issues before
they become a bigger issue. " According to Buehler, he was able to
reproduce, create new substations, and dive into customizations for
JUL/AUG 2021
regulations. Today's web-based SCADA solutions include strong
passwords, user privileges, a stateful fi rewall, key cryptography, and
security logging. An HTTPS protocol adds SSL-based security.
" We run our SCADA system over a cellular VPN connection, "
explained Williams. " Having this data from the endpoints to the
master station encrypted is a big deal for us to maximize security.
With the Orion system, it came encrypted out of the box. "
" A SCADA system really does not have an end, " said Williams. " By
its nature it is an ongoing modular eff ort that requires enhancements
and upgrades in lockstep with the substation technology and performance.
What's key for a utility considering replacing their SCADA
system is to have an overall guiding strategy that will factor in ease
of use, cost, scalability, redundancy, security, regulatory compliance,
and aſt er-sale support to simplify what traditionally has been a very
complicated, time-consuming process. " EP
For more information visit novatechautomation.com.
EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM | 27
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Efficient Plant July/August 2021

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