Open-source software for a fast and flexible implementation of an automated IEC 61850 engineering process

Classical software products from vendors are restricted by technical and commercial boundary conditions that determines which features are provided to the customers at which point in time. The product management must find a compromise between limited development resources and a variety of feature wishes. Customer groups with special needs off the mainstream may be served not as quick on not as thorough as the bulk of customers with standard requirements. On the other hand, such software products tend to have a clearly defined feature set and a set price, which fits well with a classical procurement process. The maintenance is done by the vendor, the customer is a user only and bears only the responsibility of making the right choice. Open-Source Software follows a different approach. This may not match the conventional perception in electric power utilities of how to obtain a product or service. By involving themselves and becoming stakeholders in an Open-Source project, the stakeholders drive the developments into the direction they want. The stakeholders gain the authority to have features implemented they want to have, and the speed mostly depends on the intensity of the involvement, mainly the dedication of development resources. Besides focusing on one specific Open-Source Software solution for IEC 61850 engineering, this paper shall lay out the applicability and benefits of Open-Source concepts for Digital Substations.