COMPAS CLEANS
UP IEC 61850
DATA MODELSUMMARY
This case study focuses on the implementation of the CoMPAS
software tool developed by LF Energy for the Real Time Interface(RTI) project initiated by Dutch Grid Operators and market parties.
The RTI aims to enable grid operators to limit power generation bycustomers in order to address capacity constraints on the electricity
grid. The RTI specifically caters to customers in category B (1 - 50MW) as defined in the European Code Requirements for Generators(RfG). The initial challenge faced by the project team was thepresence of unnecessary data objects and information in the IEC
61850 data model, which was being used to define the signals
exchanged between grid operators and customers. CoMPAS wasutilized to validate and clean up the data model, resulting inaccelerated development of the RTI.

CHALLENGE
The development of the RTI encountered a significant challenge
in the form of an IEC 61850 data model that contained asubstantial amount of unnecessary data objects and information.
This complexity hindered efficient implementation and utilizationof the model, requiring a solution that could validate and cleanup the data model effectively.

SOLUTIONCoMPAS was employed to address the challenges associatedwith the IEC 61850 data model. CoMPAS offers built-in functions
that facilitate the validation and cleanup of data models, making
it accessible even to users without extensive knowledge of theIEC 61850 protocol. The tool also enables the representation of
the XML-based data model in a user-friendly and easily readableformat. By leveraging CoMPAS, the project team was able tostreamline the data model, removing unnecessary elements andoptimizing its structure.

“As utilities/integrators struggle with
implementing the IEC 61850 data model toensure interoperability between equipment,
open source solutions like CoMPAS areproviding tooling to reduce complexity andspeed time to market for the benefit of theutilities and their customers.”

Sander Jansen
Product Owner, Virtual Substations at
Alliander and Contributor to CoMPAS
Learn more about CoMPAS, access the GitHub
repository and subscribe to the mailing list at
https://lfenergy.org/projects/compas/

RESULTS
The implementation of CoMPAS had a significant impact on thedevelopment of the RTI project. The tool's intuitive interface andbuilt-in validation functions allowed for efficient data modelcleanup, expediting the overall development process. The
accessibility of CoMPAS, even to users with limited expertise inthe IEC 61850 protocol, simplified the validation and optimization
tasks, resulting in faster progress. The impact of CoMPAS on theproject's efficiency and progress can be quantified by measuring
the time saved in data model cleanup and optimization, as wellas the reduction in errors and inefficiencies resulting from astreamlined data model.

FUTURE PLANS
The RTI project is currently in its beta phase, and lab andfield tests are being conducted to refine the technicalspecification and finalize the interface. During these tests,
new findings are expected to arise that will impact the IEC
61850 data model of the RTI. CoMPAS will continue to playa crucial role in analyzing these findings and facilitatingnecessary changes to the data model. The goal is toincorporate the improvements identified during the testing
phase and publish the final version of the technicalspecification in the third quarter of 2023. As the RTI
progresses towards large-scale rollout, CoMPAS will likely
be utilized further to support the ongoing development,implementation, and optimization of the interface.
In conclusion, the utilization of LF Energy's CoMPAS
software tool for cleaning up the IEC 61850 data model in
the RTI project provided significant benefits, including
enhanced efficiency, streamlined development, andimproved accuracy. CoMPAS proved to be a valuable asset
in the project's journey towards creating a robust andeffective real-time interface for grid operators andcustomers.