--- title: "Substation and low-voltage grid monitoring (EIM) | GridBit" description: "GridBit EIM adds sensors, analysers and a gateway to a secondary substation and shows the transformer and the low-voltage board in real time, with alarms." url: "https://www.gridbit.tech/solutions/eim" language: "en" translation: "https://www.gridbit.tech/bg/solutions/eim" --- # Electrical infrastructure monitoring GridBit EIM adds sensors, analysers and a gateway to a secondary substation and shows the state of the transformer and the low-voltage board in real time. It is a retrofit: the primary equipment stays as it is. - Retrofit for existing substations - Modbus modules and third-party sensors - MQTTS to the cloud [Request a quote](https://www.gridbit.tech/contact?product=EIM) [Watch the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtVfARmi4xU) - **years of work for energy distributors**: 20+ - **smart meters installed in metering projects**: 1.9 M+ - **data concentrators installed**: 20 000+ - **specialists in development**: 30+ Why now ## Three changes meet in the low-voltage grid 01 ### Intense electrification Demand for electricity grows by about 4.1 % a year. Heat pumps and charging points overload lines and transformers that were sized for another time. 02 ### Decentralised and renewable energy Rooftop plants feed in when the sun shines, not when the load needs it. The intermittent flow unbalances the network. 03 ### Ageing infrastructure Old equipment fails more often under a load that changes through the day. The problem ## The low-voltage grid is still in the dark Generation and transmission were digitised decades ago, and SCADA shows high and medium voltage in real time. Below the secondary substation the operator works blind and often learns about a fault from the customers. 1. Generation 2. Transmission 3. Distribution 4. Low voltage and customers 65 % of all grid assets are in the low-voltage network Without data from the low-voltage side a distributor risks: 1. 01 Expensive but inefficient maintenance 2. 02 More frequent and longer interruptions, worse SAIDI and SAIFI 3. 03 Revenue lost while equipment is down 4. 04 Lower customer satisfaction because service takes longer 5. 05 No basis for planning investments in grid expansion Illustration of a secondary substation How it works ## A substation that reports its own condition EIM gives the substation digital senses. Compact modules and sensors go in without long outages, and everything talks Modbus to one gateway. 01 Transformer ### Temperature and condition of the transformer An infrared camera and optical sensors watch the hot spots without touching them. RFID and contact sensors sit where a cable cannot go. The integrated safety detector reports pressure, temperature, oil level and gas. - IR camera (TCAM) - Optical temperature sensor (TIR) - RFID temperature sensor - Integrated safety detector monitor 02 Switchboard ### Every phase and every feeder The network analyser measures current, voltage, power and power quality per phase. The voltage detector watches the outgoing feeders, fuses and protections. The relay unit switches lines on a schedule or on command. - Power quality monitoring (MCU) - Voltage detector (SMU) - Relay unit (RLU) - Contact temperature sensor (TS2) - Optical temperature sensor (TIR) 03 Environment ### The room itself Optional third-party sensors on the same Modbus line: humidity and temperature, smoke, water and moisture, intrusion, and any sensor with a 0 to 10 V output. - Humidity and temperature - Smoke detection - Water and moisture - Intrusion - Other sensors, 0 to 10 V 04 Gateway ### One gateway for the whole substation GridBit GWU collects data from the modules and the sensors over Modbus and sends it over the mobile network or Wi-Fi. The link is MQTTS: encrypted and two-way, so commands reach the substation too. - Modbus - MQTTS - GSM or Wi-Fi 05 Platform ### Software as a service The platform runs in the cloud on Microsoft Azure. It opens in a browser on any device, with nothing to install, and the data is encrypted. - SaaS - Microsoft Azure - Any device The platform ## One panel per substation ### The transformer at a glance Load and imbalance as gauges, current per phase and in the neutral against its limits, the phase angles as a vector diagram and a table of current, voltage and angle per phase. ### Load against the limit, hour by hour The chart marks the hours near the limit and the hours above it. A second tab shows the K-factor, the extra heating that harmonics cause. ### The busbar and every circuit Current and voltage per phase with the minimum, average and maximum for the period, then the same for each outgoing circuit. ### Power quality over a week Voltage deviation, rapid voltage changes, asymmetry and harmonics from the 3rd to the 13th with the total distortion, per phase. ### A substation that needs attention The state turns critical, the bell counts the active alarms and the values outside their range turn red, here an imbalance of 36 % and an overloaded hour. ### The passport of the asset Identification, technical parameters of the transformer and the generation connected behind it: type, power, connection point and whether it came with a notification or a permit. Screens from the interface design, with sample data. Planning ## See the overload coming A transformer rarely fails without warning. The load creeps up over months as new consumers and plants connect. With the load of every hour against the limit, you know which transformer to resize first and which one still has room. Limit of the transformer 1. 00:00 5. 04:00 9. 08:00 13. 12:00 17. 16:00 19. Overload 21. 20:00 Load through the day Normal Near the limit Overload Illustration, not measured data. Functions ## What the platform does 01 ### Real-time monitoring Problems are found and handled before they grow. 02 ### Notifications and alarms In the platform, by e-mail, by SMS and other channels. 03 ### GIS The whole infrastructure on a map, one click to a substation. 04 ### Analyses and reports Large volumes of data turned into a basis for planning. 05 ### Automation Processes, tasks, analyses and reports set to the needs of the client. 06 ### Integration With systems of other vendors through standard protocols. 07 ### System configuration Devices, users and thresholds managed from the interface. 08 ### Cloud No servers to buy or maintain. Benefits ## What you get ### Efficient operation Faults and disruptions are detected at once, response is quick and downtime is short. ### Proactive maintenance Failures are predicted before they happen, which extends the life of the substation components. ### Lower costs Preventing a major failure saves the repair or the replacement. Fewer site visits lower the cost of maintenance. ### Safety Hazards are identified early, so crews act in time and the risk of accidents drops. - Network status in real time For system planning and investment decisions. - Regulatory compliance Continuous monitoring helps meet the requirements and avoid penalties. - Customer satisfaction Reliable supply and faster grid expansion. - Experience gap Digital data helps when experienced field staff retire. Clients > The most useful and important function for our work is the monitoring of the electrical infrastructure. It gives information about the state of the equipment and the infrastructure and helps us optimise our maintenance costs and our response time. Krastina Cholakova Member of the Board of Directors, Energy Effect JSC Translated from Bulgarian. ## Hardware in this system - Compact modules, combined as the substation needs - Installed and replaced with minimal downtime of the equipment - Designed to international and industry safety standards - [Gateway GWU-5 4G LTE gateway for Modbus devices, with Ethernet and MQTT 4G LTE Cat 1 Mobile network, 2G fallback RS485 + Ethernet Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP](https://www.gridbit.tech/hardware/gwu-5) - [Gateway GWU-4 2G/4G gateway for Modbus RTU devices, two digital inputs 4G LTE Cat 1 Mobile network, 2G fallback RS485 Modbus RTU](https://www.gridbit.tech/hardware/gwu-4) - [Meter MCU-4 Three-phase network analyser with Modbus RTU 3P+N / 1P+N Pole configuration U, I, P, cos φ, E Measured parameters](https://www.gridbit.tech/hardware/mcu-4) - [Inputs SMU-3 Eight-channel AC voltage detector with Modbus RTU 8 Voltage detection inputs 280 VAC Maximum input voltage](https://www.gridbit.tech/hardware/smu-3) ### Sensors and units for the substation - TS2 Contact temperature sensor - TIR Optical, contactless temperature sensor - TCAM Infrared camera - RLU Relay unit Questions ## Short answers Another question? [Ask an engineer](https://www.gridbit.tech/contact) ### What is GridBit EIM? GridBit EIM is a monitoring system for the electrical infrastructure at low voltage. It adds sensors, analysers and a gateway to a secondary substation, and the platform shows the state of the transformer and the low-voltage board in real time, with alarms and reports. ### Do we have to replace equipment in the substation? No. EIM is a retrofit and the primary equipment stays as it is. The compact modules and sensors go in without long outages. ### What does EIM measure in a substation? Three groups of values. At the transformer: the temperature of the hot spots, and pressure, temperature, oil level and gas from the integrated safety detector. At the low-voltage board: current, voltage, power and power quality per phase, plus the state of the outgoing feeders, fuses and protections. In the room: humidity, temperature, smoke, water and intrusion. ### Which power quality values does the platform show? Voltage deviation, rapid voltage changes, asymmetry and harmonics from the 3rd to the 13th with the total distortion, per phase. The load chart marks the hours near and above the limit of the transformer, and a second tab shows the K-factor. ### How does the data reach the platform? A GridBit GWU gateway collects the data from the modules and the sensors over Modbus and sends it over the mobile network or Wi-Fi. The link is MQTTS, encrypted and two-way, so commands reach the substation too. The platform is software as a service on Microsoft Azure and opens in a browser. ### Why monitor the low-voltage grid? Because 65 % of all grid assets are in the low-voltage network and the operator often learns about a fault there from the customers. Heat pumps, charging points and rooftop plants load lines and transformers that were sized for another time. Hourly load data shows which transformer to resize first. ### Can EIM work with systems from other vendors? Yes. The platform integrates with systems of other vendors through standard protocols, and third-party sensors with Modbus or a 0 to 10 V output connect to the same line as the GridBit modules. ## Ask for an EIM proposal Tell us how many substations you have and what you want to see in them. We answer with a configuration and a quote. [Request a quote](https://www.gridbit.tech/contact?product=EIM) [office@add-bg.com](mailto:office@add-bg.com)