Energy Talks

Welcome to the fifth and final episode of our Energy Talks miniseries titled, Why Should You Talk About Incident Response? OMICRON cybersecurity consultant Simon Rommer discusses the incident response process steps of recovery and decision-making, as well as lessons learned, with Dr. Marie Moe, who is a Principal Security Consultant based in the United Kingdom at Mandiant Consulting , which is par...

In this episode, we speak with a behind-the-scenes expert in power system testing. Mariana Felix de Souza is an Applications Engineer for Latin America at the cable diagnostics solutions company B2 electronics. Mariana describes how her experience and responsibilities contribute to helping sales partners ensure the reliability of their customers’ cable systems in Latin America with B2 diagnostic s...

In this episode, we dive deep into the development of state-of-the-art safety functions for electrical test sets. As an example, OMICRON safety expert Florian Rein describes how the OMICRON CMC 500 is designed to set a new benchmark for personal safety – from the initial safety concept to the final safety functions, which fulfill strict international product safety standards. Whether you're an eng...

In this episode of Energy Talks, OMICRON instrument transformer testing experts Felix Feustel and Thomas Bischof describe how the accuracy of power quality measurements is becoming more important in evolving modern power grids to ensure a reliable power supply. Specifically, Felix and Thomas describe the role of instrument transformers in ensuring accurate wideband measurements for determining pow...

Welcome to the fourth episode of our Energy Talks miniseries titled, Why Should You Talk About Incident Response? OMICRON cybersecurity consultant Simon Rommer speaks with Stephan Mikiss, who is Head of Managed Security Services at SEC Consult and a SANS-certified forensics analyst. Together they discuss the steps of containment, eradication and recovery in the incident response process.

Recent headlines have reported that blackouts caused havoc in major infrastructure hubs, like London’s Heathrow Airport. These incidents clearly demonstrate how being prepared is key to ensuring a reliable power system. In this 100th episode of Energy Talks, we feature parts of a previous episode to recall what OMICRON blackout preparedness experts Friedrich Almer and Daniel Wiesner describe as es...

In this episode of Energy Talks, Dr. Alex Apostolov talks about his innovative and influential career in both protection engineering and the digital transformation of power grids. Alex explains the significance of the IEC 61850 standard in modern power systems and highlights the challenges in the digital transformation of substations, such as adopting new technologies, the interoperability in mult...

In this episode, we speak with a behind-the-scenes expert in power system testing. Karolina Molczan is a Software Quality Assurance Engineer at OMICRON. She tells us about her experience and responsibilities and how they contribute not only to the performance and reliability of power system testing solutions but also to the trust users place in them. Karolina also offers advice to those who want t...

Welcome to the third episode of our Energy Talks miniseries titled, Why Should You Talk About Incident Response? Join OMICRON cybersecurity consultant Simon Rommer as he explores the different process steps involved in cybersecurity incident response with other experts from the power industry. In this episode, Simon speaks with Johann Stockinger, Head of Digital Forensics and Incident Response at...

In this episode of Energy Talks, OMICRON product manager and switchgear testing expert Andreas Nenning emphasizes the importance of testing different switchgear components, such as circuit breakers, and describes the specific tests performed on various types of switchgear throughout their lifecycle to ensure reliability and safety in power substations.

Welcome to the second episode of our Energy Talks miniseries titled, Why Should You Talk About Incident Response? Join OMICRON cybersecurity consultant Simon Rommer as he explores the different process steps involved with cyber incident response alongside other experts from the power industry. In this episode, Simon speaks with Tibor Külkey from ALSEC Cybersecurity Consulting, a leading OT securit...

In this episode, OMICRON partial discharge (PD) measurement and analysis expert Caspar Steineke offers a first-hand account of the last 20 years of OMICRON MPD technology and how it has revolutionized PD testing worldwide. He describes how MPD technology began in response to industry requirements for functionality that had not existed before, such as synchronous, multi-channel and highly stable, r...

OMICRON’s 40-year history as a leading innovator in power system testing, data management and cybersecurity started with a vision for protection relay testing and the development of OMICRON's groundbreaking CMC technology. In this episode, Martin Pfanner, OMICRON product manager and one of the original CMC developers, describes the journey of the company from its humble beginnings in a basement to...

The challenges in protection testing are manifold due to constantly changing grids and the prevailing skills shortage. With the CMC 500, OMICRON provides a future-proof solution and sets a new benchmark in protection testing. Stephan Geiger, OMICRON CMC 500 Product Manager, provides an insight into the development of the groundbreaking device.

In this episode, Josef Schmidbauer, an OMICRON expert in earthing (grounding) testing, discusses the implications of recent updates made to the EN 50522 standard. He highlights the recommended earthing (grounding) measurement procedures to enhance safety and reliability. Josef also discusses the importance of touch voltage measurements, interference suppression methods, and the advantages of the f...

In this episode, Lisa Gruber, Product Manager for Product Servicing at OMICRON, highlights the importance of regular calibration for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of power system testing equipment, and the factors that determine how often testing devices should be calibrated. Lisa also explains the differences between factory and ISO/IEC 17025 calibrations, emphasizing the significance of...

In this episode of Energy Talks, Naresh Soni from Akron Energy in India discusses the critical aspects of substation testing and the importance of time optimization in ensuring the reliability and safety of electrical equipment. He shares insights on the challenges faced in the field, the role of advanced technology and data analytics, and the future trends that will shape substation asset managem...

Generators and motors produce the electrical power and propulsion needed to move maritime vessels like cruise ships, cargo ships, and tankers. But before any boat leaves a port, all its rotating electrical machines must be in top condition to ensure reliable operation on the high seas. In this episode, Christian Quell discusses how he and his team ensure the reliable performance of rotating electr...

Working with electricity is always dangerous, especially when dealing with high-voltage electrical equipment, where every task can be a matter of life or death. In this episode, we speak with Jakob Hämmerle, Safety Product Manager at OMICRON. He offers tips for power system testing safety in high-voltage environments and describes how life-saving features are included and continuously optimized in...

In this episode, OMICRON Sales and Application Engineer Jere Polojärvi discusses how continuous training, open communication, and detailed documentation are essential to helping substation engineers work effectively in evolving power grids. He also introduces the critical aspect of red-pen documentation to indicate changes in original substation designs. Jera emphasizes the importance of an active...

Welcome to the first episode of our new Energy Talks miniseries, Why Should We Talk About Incident Response? Join OMICRON cybersecurity experts Andreas Klien and Simon Romer as they explore the critical roles of IT and OT in cyber incident response and disaster recovery alongside other experts from the power industry. In this episode, Andreas and Simon discuss disaster recovery from an OT perspect...

In this episode, we examine the current efficiency of protection relay testing. Protection relays and protection test sets have changed significantly over the last decades. Michael Albert, an OMICRON expert in test automation, discusses the increasing importance of protection testing efficiency and how efficiency measures can be easily implemented, performed, and measured.

In this episode, two highly experienced protection testing experts – Oliver Skrbinjek and Ignaz Hüber – talk about the challenges protection engineers face over time due to the transformation of energy systems, advancements in protection technology, evolving maintenance requirements, and keeping up with the latest developments to do their work effectively. Oliver and Ignaz describe these challenge...

What is important to know about the EN 50522 standard for earthing/grounding systems? To find out, join us in this episode with our two guests, Christian Raunig and Theodor Connor, who are experts in the field of earthing/grounding, and give us an insight into the standard and the work of the standardization committees. Learn interesting details about EN 50522 and the latest revision.

This episode is Part 8 of our Energy Talks miniseries, Cybersecurity in the Power Grid, in which we provide a 360-degree view of how power grids can best safeguard their infrastructures from cyberattacks. OMICRON hardware developer Marcel Ströhle describes how hardware cybersecurity is crucial to overall system security because hardware devices are another potential attack vector that can be easil...