Rural Virginia utility modernizes smart grid with help from Juniper SRX

CVEC is making its grid smarter, more resilient, and less expensive to maintain. The foundation of CVEC’s smart grid technology is a secure IP network that can be used to restore service after outages, balance power loads, and use resources more efficiently.

“The challenge was how to connect downline devices in a secure and reliable way,” says Jeff Harris, Network Engineer at CVEC. “Most of these devices, like high-voltage electric reclosers and automatic voltage regulators, are in remote areas or in boxes hanging on poles.”

CVEC needed to connect its substations and the downline devices that control energy distribution and send power to members’ homes and businesses. The IT team sought a secure IP network solution that would stand up to harsh environmental conditions, impervious to heat or cold. The solution also needed to use direct current (DC) power.

Simplicity was a key consideration. Utility technicians would have to be able to deploy and manage the secure network devices themselves without expert network skills.

As a member-owned, not-for-profit organization, affordability was paramount. “We needed a solution that was affordable at scale, because we needed hundreds of devices,” says Harris.

CVEC is at the start of a multiyear journey to make improvements to its power grid that will benefit people and businesses for decades to come.

“Secure connectivity with Juniper will give us better visibility and ultimately the ability to remotely control downline devices,” says Joel Wendland, Network Engineer at CVEC. “The key benefit we expect is improved uptime and reliability for our members.”

A smart grid can shorten the duration of power outages and allow its residential, agricultural, and business members to take greater advantage of grid connected renewable generation, battery storage, and electric vehicles.

In addition to restoring power faster after an outage, CVEC expects the smart grid project to make technicians more productive.

“Before, a technician would have to drive to the location of the outage, which might be in the mountains,” says Wendland. “The tech would have to clear the outage and then drive to the recloser location, close it out, and re-energize the line. But with our downline devices connected by SRX firewalls, our control center can make repairs remotely and restore service faster.”