HardFiber system replaces copper with fiber optic

MARKHAM, ONTARIO - GE Digital Energy showcased its new Multilin HardFiber System at the recent 2008 CIGRE Conference in Paris, France.

The HardFiber System, which eliminates the need for thousands of copper wires in a substation and replaces them with a few fiber optic cables, can save utilities up to 50% of their current installation and maintenance costs while at the same time increasing worker safety and power system reliability.

A breakthrough in the installation and ownership of protection and control (P&C) systems, HardFiber addresses the challenges utilities face today. It delivers significant installation and maintenance cost savings and helps improve system security, reliability, and safety.

CIGRE (International Council on Large Electric Systems) is one of the worldÂ’s leading organizations on electric power systems. At this yearÂ’s conference, GE Digital Energy had a significant presence with its Multilin HardFiber System, providing three technical papers and presenting five subject contributions on technology, cyber security, and business drivers to an audience of approximately 350 protection engineers at the B5 Technical Session on Protection & Control.

The GE Digital Energy team made a presentation with American Electric Power (AEP) at the UCA International Users Group Annual Meeting about the first HardFiber System installation at one of AEPÂ’s electrical substations. The team also hosted a well-attended seminar on the life cycle of process bus, from designing to commissioning and testing the system.

Process bus is a substation communication architecture that efficiently collects and transfers data from switchyard equipment to the control room. HardFiber is a process bus solution.

Additionally, the HardFiber System was showcased in a booth where GE Digital Energy P&C technology experts talked with visitors and demonstrated the complete system.