IEC 61850 is an imperative and new international standard for electrical substation automation that will significantly impact on how electrical power systems are designed and constructed in the future.

IEC61850 is a part of the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) Technical Committee 57 (TC57) reference architecture for electric power systems. The model-driven approach of the TC57 standards, including IEC61850, is an innovative approach that requires a new way of thinking about substation automation that will result in very significant improvements in both costs and performance of electric power systems. IEC 61850 provides a comprehensive model for how power system devices should organize data in a manner that is consistent across all types and brands of devices.