Remote control of distributed energy resources using IEC 61850 as application-layer protocol standard

As the number of distributed energy resources increases so does the need for sophisticated communication technology that allows to remotely control them. This study analyzes the prominent application-layer protocol candidate for this application, the IEC 61850 standard. A decision tree is drawn that outlines when IEC 61850 is a favorable choice. Afterwards IEC 61850 is looked at in detail. The benefits of its device modeling capabilities for interoperability are evaluated and its message size is analyzed.