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EDWartens UK

Free course · Power systems

IEC 61850 Substation Automation: GOOSE, SCL and IEC 60870-5

The utility side of SCADA, taught the way a substation automation engineer meets it: the IEC 61850 object model and its logical nodes, SCL files from ICD through SCD to CID, MMS reporting against GOOSE against Sampled Values, the engineering process a system configuration tool follows, testing from office simulation through factory and site acceptance to maintenance isolation, and the IEC 60870-5-101 and 104 link that carries the substation to the control centre.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Advanced
Modules
8
Video
7 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Read an IEC 61850 object reference and say what every part of it means, navigate an SCL file and tell ICD, SSD, SCD and CID apart, decide whether a signal belongs on MMS reporting, GOOSE or Sampled Values, follow the engineering process from vendor capability files to a substation configuration and back to the relays, plan the tests a substation automation system needs at each stage of its life, isolate a bay with test mode instead of a lifted link, and map a substation into IEC 60870-5-101 or 104 for the control-centre link.

  • Read any IEC 61850 object reference down to the data attribute and name the logical node behind it
  • Tell ICD, SSD, SCD and CID apart and say who produces each and when
  • Decide whether a signal belongs on MMS reporting, GOOSE or Sampled Values
  • Engineer and then trace a GOOSE subscription, including the case where it never arrives
  • Isolate a bay with test mode and the simulation flag instead of lifting a trip link
  • Write the point list and message sequence for an IEC 60870-5-104 link to the control centre

Software

None required. A text editor to read SCL files. The IEC 61850 simulation and test tools demonstrated in the videos are the publisher's own and are optional.

Hardware

None. An IED on the bench helps but nothing here needs one.

Syllabus

8 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1The IEC 61850 object model and SCL2 lessons
  2. 2Communications: MMS reporting, GOOSE and Sampled Values1 lesson
  3. 3The engineering process: from ICD to SCD and back1 lesson
  4. 4Testing a 61850 system: factory, site and in service1 lesson
  5. 5Simulating and testing your SCD design1 lesson
  6. 6IEC 60870-5: the link to the control centre2 lessons
  7. 7IEC 60870-5 in service: application layer, stack and security3 lessons
  8. 8Final assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Read the single line diagram, then isolate, lock and tag a motor bucket in the Lab's substation and MCC room.

Works alongside IEC 61850 Substation Automation: GOOSE, SCL and IEC 60870-5. The Lab is substation and mcc practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
Substation and MCC: Work a real switchroom.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for IEC 61850 Substation Automation: GOOSE, SCL and IEC 60870-5

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Questions

About this course

Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have finished every module and passed the final assessment at 60%, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Is this the same as an IEC 61850 certification?
No, and it is worth being clear about what that phrase means. IEC 61850 conformance certification, run through the UCA International Users Group and its accredited test laboratories, applies to devices, not to engineers. Vendors such as Hitachi Energy, Siemens and SEL run their own paid classes on their own tools. This course is preparation for that work and for the interview, and it is not equivalent to any of them.
Who made the video lessons?
Triangle MicroWorks, on their own YouTube channel, as free training they publish alongside their protocol test tools. EDWartens did not make the videos and Triangle MicroWorks is not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the module order, the practice tasks and the assessments.
Do I need to install any software?
No. The videos demonstrate the publisher's own simulation and test tools, and you can follow the method without installing anything. If you want to run the labs yourself, those tools are downloaded from Triangle MicroWorks on their own terms, and the course does not require it.
What should I already know?
Protection and switchgear basics, what a SCADA system does, and enough networking to be comfortable with Ethernet, TCP/IP, multicast and a managed switch. If you are new to industrial protocols, take the industrial communication course first.
How long is it?
Seven content modules and a final, about four and a quarter hours of video and roughly seven hours in total with the practice tasks and practice questions. The videos are long-form training sessions, not short explainers, so plan one module a sitting.
Where does this lead?
Substation automation work with transmission and distribution EPCs, grid utilities and their contractors, and the OEMs and system integrators who commission SAS panels. The same skill set is in demand on substation projects worldwide, including the Gulf, where IEC 61850 and a 104 link to the control centre are the normal specification.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module