Aduriz Distribución, a leading electric power distribution company, identified a clear need to modernize its infrastructure. Partnering with Barbara, the company deployed Edge Computing in two low-voltage substations using Barbara’s Industrial Edge Platform. This initiative marks a major step toward substation virtualization, enabling Aduriz to enhance system performance and deploy real-time intelligence models that drive smarter, more efficient grid management.
Traditional power distribution companies must evolve to meet the challenges of smart grids, where efficiency, security, and adaptability are paramount. For Aduriz Distribución, virtualizing their substations was the first step toward creating a smarter and more secure power grid.
Aduriz faced several challenges in its digital transformation journey:
• Integration of Technologies: Ensuring seamless interoperability between systems and devices from various manufacturers, while modernizing existing infrastructure to support new digital and communication technologies
• Cybersecurity: Implementing strong cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive information from cyberattacks, while ensuring the distribution and transmission networks are fortified against potential vulnerabilities and threats.
• Data Management: Developing capabilities to collect, store, and analyze large volumes of data in real-time while ensuring consumer data privacy.
• Smart Grid Implementation: Building the foundation for a more intelligent and flexible energy management system that integrates distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar power and energy storage.
Aduriz Distribución started by equipping two of its low-voltage (LV) substations with edge computing infrastructure powered by Barbara’s technology. Barbara´s Industrial Edge Platform enabled the company to strengthen system interoperability, enhance cybersecurity, and develop advanced data management capabilities.
The digital journey of Aduriz’s was a multi-stage process that yielded several key learnings.
Each low-voltage (LV) substation is equipped with:
In this phase, referred to as the "Dark Edge," the primary challenges arise from data being present but not fully accessible. These challenges include:
In this phase, the project involved Aduriz’s integration of Smilics products, specifically the sensors used for monitoring and control in low voltage transformation centers within distribution networks. The equipment, known as WiBeee, includes 1 x BULKER, 2 x FEEDER, 1 x GATE, and 1 x GREEN, all utilizing the MQTT protocol for communication. To ensure seamless data streaming and device control, Barbara’s Edge Platform played a critical role in connecting and managing the system.
Once the data was being captured and stored, it became easier for Aduriz to query the database, visualize the grid’s status remotely, and transmit important information to the company’s central platform. This real-time insight enabled faster decision-making and more efficient grid operations.
• InfluxDB: A time-series database that stores information obtained from sensors and meters.
• Grafana: A visualization tool that displays information from various data sources, including InfluxDB.
• Data Transmission: Data is sent to the Aduriz Distribución platform via REST API or MQTT.
By leveraging Barbara’s Edge Platform, Aduriz was able to ensure secure, real-time data streaming from all connected devices, paving the way for enhanced control and monitoring within its distribution network.
Aduriz integrated Node-RED, an open-source platform, into its edge infrastructure to create visual workflows that facilitated automated decision-making. By using this no-code programming approach, Aduriz was able to integrate IoT devices and services without complex software development. This flexibility enabled the company to implement business logic quickly and react to changes in grid conditions in real-time.
The ultimate aim of these projects is to achieve an Intelligent Edge. Aduriz has now a real-time, integrated, cyber-secure, and user-friendly data capture infrastructure in place. Building on this strong foundation, The Barbara Edge Management and Orchestration platform enables the dockerization and orchestration of intelligence models, which are essential for pursuing a smart grid solution.
The modern power grid requires far more than just reliable electricity delivery. It needs to be agile, intelligent, and secure. Substation virtualization, powered by edge computing, allows grid operators to automate operations, make real-time decisions, and optimize resource management.
Aduriz’s partnership with Barbara and the deployment of edge computing in its LV substations has laid the groundwork for a smarter, more resilient power grid. By virtualizing its substations and implementing an edge infrastructure solution, Aduriz will benefit from:
• Continuous Data Streaming: Now Aduriz, has an infrastructure that supports ongoing data collection from legacy systems.
• Enhanced Cybersecurity: Now Aduriz can maintain robust cybersecurity throughout the deployment
• Business Continuity: The ability to respond to changes in real-time, ensuring smooth operations.
• On-Premises Infrastructure: Hosting the infrastructure within the company while benefiting from maintenance by Barbara.
• Scalability: A future-proof system designed to accommodate further advancements in smart grid technologies.
Barbara is the Edge AI Orchestration Platform for organisations seeking to overcome the challenges of deploying AI in highly distributed environments.
Barbara empowers OT managers with IT capabilities to digitize processes, enabling seamless data capture, processing, and real-time decision-making.
With Barbara, companies can deploy and monitor AI models in minutes by simply exporting and uploading them to the platform.
Digitization teams need efficient AI orchestration, while infrastructure teams require secure modernization without disrupting existing systems. Barbara enables both, orchestrating AI applications across distributed locations, modernizing infrastructure, and ensuring security, all without replacing existing components.
Our capabilities include:
.– Industrial Connectors for legacy or next-generation equipment.
.– Edge Orchestration to deploy and control docker-based applications across thousands of distributed locations.
.– Edge MLOps, to optimize, deploy, and monitor trained models using standard or GPU enabled hardware.
. – Remote Fleet Management for provisioning, configuration and updates of edge devices.
.– Marketplace of Certified Edge Apps ready to be deployed.
Contact us to discuss how we can help accelerate your Edge AI projects.