Lazer® Automation

G&W has been providing innovative, custom automation solutions to the power industry for many years. A long time leader of automated switchgear, G&W’s expertise has now positioned them from component supplier to complete automation system integrator. Our expertise in matching the ideal system components for the application has led to variety of pre-engineered solutions which we call our Lazer Automation System.

G&W’s Lazer offerings cover the main automation requirements of today including automatic transfer, voltage loss reconfiguration, fault isolation reconfiguration and, of course, smart grids. G&W’s Lazer Automation solutions address 5kV to 38kV networks in a Smart Grid and function to automatically restore faulted circuits that have lost voltage.

Smart Grids

A Smart Grid is a power network where all components, such as switches, controls, meters, etc, have the ability to communicate system information to each other permitting an automatic response without the need for dispatching operating crews to the site. The goal is to maximize the reliability and efficiency of the network while giving individual consumers control over their consumption. Some of the basic technologies are SCADA, automatic reconfiguration and restoration, AMR/AMI (meter reading) software, smart meters, and renewable energy integration.

Other Lazer Automation Solutions

G&W’s solution helps our customers improve system reliability and efficiency, decrease outage times, and significantly reduce total life cycle costs. Every solution is customized to meet or exceed customers’ requirements, based on their choice of G&W switchgear combined with innovative controls and communication equipment that is fully system tested prior to shipment. We focus on achieving complete system integration, so we’re very flexible about providing customers with many equipment options. We’ll strive to integrate any manufacturer per customer preference. Some of the major manufacturers of system components include:

• Switchgear – G&W Electric, Cooper Power Systems, S&C, ABB, Hubbell
• Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) – SEL, GE, ABB, Siemens
• Communications – MDS, Telemetric, Ruggedcom, Silver Springs, SEL, Reliatronics
  • Protocols – DNP, Mirrored Bits, Modbus, IEC 61850, WiMax
• SCADA – Survalent, QEI, Efacec, Cybectec, Telvent, OSI, ABB

Recent examples of G&W power automation solutions include:

• Fault Isolation and Restoration
  • Open Loop FDIR including reclosers and SEL-651R over radio.
  • Open Loop Upgrade including switches, SEL-451s and SEL-751As over fiber optic.
  • High Speed Single Phase Tripping Closed Loop including reclosers and SEL-651R over fiber optic cable.
• Master Station Solution
  • Multiple protective loop circuits with padmount switches and SEL-relays controlled by a redundant Survalent master station.
• Voltage Loss Reconfiguration
  • Distributed automatic transfer including reclosers and SEL-351R controls over fiber optic cable.
  • Load Calculating Restoration including switches, SEL-451s and SEL-3351 over fiber optic.