# Smart Grid Protection, Automation and Control: Challenges and Opportunities
###### Abstract  
The evolution of Protection and Control (P&C) systems has developed though analogue and digital generations, and is presently advancing towards the utilization of Virtualization of Protection, Automation and Control environments (VPAC). This article focuses on redefining the features of traditional and modern P&C systems, Centralized Protection Automation and Control (CPAC), and VPAC, focusing on the integration of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) with secure communication that is time-effective in the centralized distribution of power and prevention of network vulnerability. Though standards such as IEC 61850-9-2 LE have been adopted, the actualization of full interoperability between diverse IED manufacturers remains elusive. With the digitization of technologies, P&C systems are naturally transitioning to virtual environments, with timing precision, redundancy and security being imperative. Latency and resource management and allocation in VPAC systems are considerable global issues. This paper discusses the issues of maintaining low operational performance in virtual substation environments while satisfying the requirements for performance in real time. The impacts of large volumes of data and artificial intelligence on the management of the grid are studied, and AI-based analytics that predict system failures and automatically change load flows are shown, as they have the potential to increase the flexibility and stability of the grid. The use of big data enables electric power utilities to enhance their protection systems, anticipate disturbances and improve energy management methods. The paper presents a comparative analysis between traditional P&C and its virtualized counterparts, with strong emphasis placed on the flexibility and scaling of VPAC resources. C 2025 15 3186 11 February  
adaptable systems to satisfy current consumer demands. The IEC 61850 standard [4] has greatly improved interoperability among IEDs from different manufacturers, fostering the development of CPAC. The standard represents an important step toward lowering future maintenance and investment expenses, despite full interoperability still being an issue. The CPAC system architecture is centralized and offers several advantages, including easier maintenance, improved information management, and the improved coordination of protection functions. In addition, these systems are capable of supporting sophisticated digital solutions including but not limited to having real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and movable protection schemes, which enhance grid performance and robustness. Figure 2 depicts the model of communication related to the IEC 61850 standard from [3]. Systems centralization began in the 1960s with the work of organizations like Westinghouse Electric and ABB, in which the integration of the protection and the control functions was envisaged [2]. Figure 1: Different aeras of protective relays. Figure 2: Communication model for the IEC 61850 standard. The works of ABB, especially during the 2000s, focused on using IEC 61850 and Ethernet standards to design and develop digitally enabled relays that were on the roadmap for future centralized PAC systems [3,5]. Consolidated PAC architectures integrate protection functions within a single-system platform, and facilitate the incorporation of distributed generation and a complex grid structure [6,7]. The evolution of the grid is characterized by the pressure to incorporate more and more distributed generation, deploy mesh topologies, and integrate large amounts of varying renewable sources. Virtualized PAC (VPAC) systems are the systems of the future that will allow the large-scale management of the grid by incorporating resources such as big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning [8]. These tools will, in turn, allow for predictive maintenance, autonomous load management, improved cybersecurity, and other things.