Energy Transitions podcast: Virtualisation in utilities: Technological innovation or necessity?

Local optimisation and automation are essential for smart grid implementation, with virtual substations serving as a foundation for distributed intelligence and the potential deployment of artificial intelligence.

Moreover, digital twins are poised to revolutionise planning, deployment, and operation at both substation and grid levels.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Enlit content specialist Jonathan Spencer Jones speaks to Luca Cavalletto, Asset Manager at A2A and Arnaud Cantin, Digital Power SVP at Schneider Electric, about how virtualisation is playing a game-changing role in how distribution utilities are overcoming major challenges.

These two experts delve into the significance of virtual substations in modern energy systems, focusing on how they can derisk projects and enable testing and upgrades in a simulated environment before physical deployment.

More exclusive insights from Schneider Electric:
Virtual substations, the driver for digitalised grids
Schneider Electric’s Kelly Becker on collaboration and innovation
Without energy sovereignty there’s no autonomy says Schneider grid boss

In this episode you will learn more about:

• How utilities can maximise the use of existing infrastructure by incorporating greater intelligence at
  the substation level;
• The role of virtual substations in shaping the future of energy resiliency and distributed energy resources;
• Why a combination of intelligence at both central and substation levels is crucial for effective substation protection and automation;
• The key challenges that a distribution utility like A2A encounters at the secondary substation
  level, and the challenges anticipated in the future;
• The functionality of the T300 H and how it compares to the HU250 in terms of equivalent functionalities.

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Listen to previous episodes:
Utility business models for the next-gen consumer
Why it’s time to curb our enthusiasm for CCUS in the UK
How utilities can leverage innovation to achieve technology breakthroughs

Read more about smart grids:
What’s next on Europe’s network electrification agenda?
Europe’s power grid financing conundrum
The missing piece of the grid puzzle