Migration path study of a distribution SCADA system

Owing to competitive changes in the electric power industry, it is essentia l to protect the large financial and human resources investment a utility m akes when acquiring a SCADA/EMS. Past experience has indicated that, with p roper planning, an obsolete SCADA/EMS can be incrementally augmented. The m igration approach provides immediate access to new technology while capital costs are spread over a number of years. To evaluate the different migrati on options of an area dispatch and control system, a discrete event simulat ion method is used to study the performance of different migration designs. A thorough analysis of a functionally distributed architecture under reali stic conditions is conducted, and the results are reported.