Past Training

Tesco Automation kicked off 2025 with the successful delivery of a 5-day IEC 61850 and Virtual Protection & Control (vPAC) training program, marking a strong start to the year. The comprehensive course combined theoretical instruction with hands-on workshops, covering key areas such as MMS reporting and control, GOOSE messaging, Sampled Values, PRP networking, and virtualized PAC system implementation. Participants from across the globe – including the Middle East, South America, the Caribbean, the U.S., and Canada – attended the training, bringing diverse perspectives and a high level of engagement.

Special thanks to Salt River Project (SRP) for hosting the event and providing a tour of their state-of-the-art vPAC lab. Their hospitality and commitment to advancing grid innovation played a key role in the success of this training.

This 5-day customized training program combined in-depth classroom instruction with hands-on workshops, equipping participants with practical skills in testing and troubleshooting IEC 61850 systems. Designed specifically for Schneider Electric’s Data Center Engineering team, the course brought together engineers from across the U.S. to support their technical growth in digital substation and power system automation.

The training featured Edition 2.1 IEDs from ABB/Hitachi, GE, SEL, Schneider, Siemens, Microchip, Omicron, Doble, and Vizimax, integrated into Tesco’s state-of-the-art Mobile Digital Substation (MDS), which also included process bus components such as SAMUs and PIUs.

Participants engaged in both theoretical and hands-on exercises, working directly with their preferred IED platforms. Practical sessions covered MMS reporting and control, GOOSE and Sampled Value configurations, and redundant network setups such as PRP. A focused module on PTP synchronization and advanced networking was also delivered, tailored to the needs of the Schneider Electric Power System Automation team.

This 4-day customized training course combined classroom instruction with hands-on workshops, offering participants practical experience in testing and troubleshooting an IEC 61850 system. The system featured the latest Edition 2.1 devices from ABB/Hitachi, GE, SEL, Schneider, Siemens, Microchip, Omicron, Doble, and Vizimax, integrated into the Tesco’s latest state of art Mobile Digital Substation (MDS) that also included process bus devices such as SAMU and PIU.

The course covered both theoretical concepts and practical exercises, enabling participants to confidently apply their knowledge using preferred IED vendors. Hands-on sessions included MMS reports, MMS controls, GOOSE configurations, Sample Value configurations, and various networking setups, such as PRP. Additionally, the training featured a focused session on PTP and advanced networking, tailored for ATCO’s Automation and SCADA team.

We’re seeing more folks interested in practical applications of IEC 61850 and our latest training furnished participants with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles, encompassing data modeling, communication, testing/troubleshooting, and networking aspects. Our Tier I and Tier II courses, spanning across 5 days, featured a blend of classroom sessions and hands-on workshops, incorporating the latest Ed.2 devices (and firmware!) from prominent industry players to give our end users a realistic platform to practice what they’ve learned. Highlights from this week included a quick astronomy lesson by means of experiencing totality during the solar eclipse (once in a lifetime moment!) and well as the presentation debut of Tesco’s virtualized Protection, Automation, and Control (vPAC) solution. We understand the hesitation and challenges that come with digitizing systems and functions so we also introduced hardware-in-the-loop testing with an RTDS simulator in our training curriculum to plant the seed on not only how to become comfortable with digitalization in design but also where digitalization could go in the future. Exciting times ahead!

This customized 3-day course included classroom sessions as well as hands-on workshops that provided practical experience with testing and troubleshooting an IEC 61850 system composed of the latest Ed.2 devices from ABB/Hitachi, GE, SEL, Schneider, Siemens, Microchip, Omicron, Doble, and Vizimax. This “Mobile Digital Substation” also incorporates process bus devices. Additional information about the mobile digital substation is available on our website.

The training course included the theoretical aspects, as well as the practical hands-on testing and troubleshooting exercises, which allowed participants to become comfortable putting this theory into practice using preferred IED vendor(s). This includes hands-on experience with MMS reports, MMS controls, GOOSE configurations, Sample Value configurations, and other networking-related configurations, including PRP.

The objective of this customized training course was to provide an overview of key fundamentals and principles of IEC 61850 – including the data modeling, communication, testing/troubleshooting, and networking aspects – but more so how they have been adopted by SCE. This customized course is a combination of our Tier I and Tier II courses that is spread across 5 days and includes classroom sessions as well as hands-on workshops that integrate the latest Ed.2 devices from ABB/Hitachi, GE, SEL, Schneider, Siemens, Microchip, Omicron, Doble, and Vizimax. This “Mobile Digital Substation” also incorporates process bus devices. Additional information about the mobile digital substation is available on our website

Attendees “heard” about the IEC 61850 fundamentals that are applicable to SCE, and then “saw” how these IEC 61850 parameters are set within each IED. The IEC 61850 theoretical information was shared in an intuitive manner that is easily understood, regardless of the participants’ IEC 61850 proficiencies.

This customized 3-day training course included modules that were structured in a manner to gradually increase the complexity as the participants built their confidence using the IEC 61850 standard.  It covered the general IEC 61850 details, as well as specific information (e.g. project specific) that Altalink would like covered with regards to their past/upcoming pilot project(s). The training course included the theoretical aspects, as well as the practical hands-on exercises that allowed participants to become comfortable putting this theory into practice using preferred IED vendor(s).