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Distribution networks and the grid edgeDistribution networks, seen down to the grid edge.
Distribution feeders now carry power both ways, from rooftops, batteries and chargers as well as from substations. Operators need to see voltage, load and faults along feeders they once ran blind, and to manage distributed resources safely. Feeder sensors, transformer monitors and meters on a utility private network give the control room that view, with evidence for every outage.
Plan a deploymentHow it worksStation Builder- Industry
- Energy
- Measurements
- 5
- Sources cited
- 7
Energy · Distribution networks and the grid edge
Feeders that flow both ways
Distribution feeders were built to carry power one way and run largely unseen between substation and customer. Rooftop solar, batteries, chargers and heat pumps have changed that. Utilities now need to see voltage, load, resources and faults along every feeder, and a network that reaches every pole.
What is measured
Along the feeder
Feeder sensors and reclosers record current, voltage and fault events; transformer monitors record load and temperature; meters at points of interconnection record distributed resource output; weather stations on poles watch high-risk areas. The private network reports the health of every device it carries.
- Instruments
- Feeder sensors · Reclosers · Transformer monitors · DER meters · Pole weather
The base node
A gateway on the pole
Each pole station’s industrial gateway reads field devices over utility protocols, signs every value with its identity and time and sends it through a modem on the private network. It keeps events locally through any outage, because outages are when the evidence matters.
Radio and links
A private network to every pole
A utility private LTE network reaches poles and substations on spectrum the utility controls. Fibre joins substations and depots to the core, battery indicators report over LoRaWAN, and public cellular can carry non-critical data while the private network grows. Each choice follows the survey.
- Links
- Private LTE · Fibre · LoRaWAN · Public cellular
How it works
From a fault to a restored feeder
A fault current is captured by a feeder device, read by the pole gateway, signed and sent over private LTE through the core and the security gateway to the substation edge. Fault location runs there, and the control room receives the likely section with its evidence for switching.
From order to operation · Order
Scope feeders and goals
The scope reads the utility’s reliability goals, distributed resource growth, wildfire risk areas and existing automation. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns a device plan per feeder class, the private network design, the integration with operations and a price per feeder and per substation.
Plan a deploymentFrom order to operation · Survey
Survey feeders and radio sites
Crews survey representative feeders, poles, transformers and substations with distribution and telecom engineers. They measure radio coverage, choose radio sites, check pole loading and power, and record each device position against the utility’s asset records. Feeders are chosen to represent the network’s classes, so the design repeats.
From order to operation · Permits
Spectrum, poles and security
The private network uses spectrum the utility holds or leases; pole attachments follow the utility’s standards; every field device joins only through the utility’s security programme. Changes to protection follow the utility’s procedures. Every device is registered in the asset records before it joins.
From order to operation · Build
Build devices by class
Pole stations, gateways, modems, transformer monitors and radio sites are built and tested by class, enrolled with their identities and labelled with asset numbers, so each device appears in the right place in the utility’s records from the first reading.
Open the Station BuilderFrom order to operation · Install
Install feeder by feeder
Radio sites go in first, then pole stations, sensors and transformer monitors along each feeder under live-line or planned-outage procedures. Each installation is checked against the asset record and photographed. Crews follow the utility’s own work methods, and customers on affected feeders are told about planned outages in advance.
From order to operation · Commission
Commission devices and fault logic
Each device proves its identity and is checked against the substation’s measurements; fault location is tested against known events or tests; voltage logic runs in observation before it acts. Coverage and latency are measured and recorded per device. Results are signed into each device’s record.
From order to operation · Operate
See the feeder, restore faster
Operators see voltage, load and resources along each feeder, located faults with their evidence and device health across the network. Restoration and voltage actions are logged, and outage records support reliability reporting. Field crews see the same located fault on their devices, so they drive to the right section first.
From order to operation · Maintain
Grow with the grid edge
Devices are added as feeders grow and resources connect, software and security updates move in rings, and radio sites are added where coverage is needed. Every change updates the asset and network records. Devices that fall silent are visible at once, and their last readings stay in the record.
Book field servicesData products
For operators, crews and regulators
Operators and planners see feeders with their voltage, load and resources; crews receive located faults; asset managers see transformer health; reliability teams receive outage records; telecom teams see network performance. All come from the same signed, time-stamped device data. Each carries the identity of the device that produced it.
See the data productsEvidence
Evidence for every outage
Every device’s identity and attestation, every event, every switching action and every change are signed and kept. Device data follows utility automation protocols, distributed resources follow the interconnection standard, and security follows the industrial security series, so regulators and auditors can follow any outage end to end.
- Drawn against
- IEC 61850 · IEEE 1815 · IEEE 1547 · ISA/IEC 62443
What you get
Power-grid edge and right-of-way monitoring
Line temperature and sag, vegetation encroachment from EO and LiDAR, substation sensors and fire-weather at the right-of-way. Delivered as managed service and data licence, for electric utilities and transmission operators. Scale: Utility service territories. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard.
Talk to salesNext step
Plan distribution networks and the grid edge with us
Tell us the site, the measurements and the rules it answers to. We reply with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for distribution networks and the grid edge. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace.
Plan a deploymentOpen the Station BuilderOpen the Studio
01The place and its hazards
Where it runs, and what can go wrong.
Operating contextDistribution networks take power from substations to homes and businesses over feeders, transformers and switches. Rooftop solar, batteries, heat pumps and electric vehicle chargers have changed flows and voltages, and interconnection rules set how distributed resources must behave. Utilities automate switching, locate faults and restore supply faster, and must report reliability to regulators.
Hazards
- Voltage outside limits as distributed generation and new loads grow
- Transformer overload and failure
- Faults that take long to locate
- Wildfire ignition from equipment in high-risk areas
- Cyber intrusion through field devices
02What must be measured
What, where, how often, and under which rules.
Each measurement names where it is taken, how often, and the public standard or regulation behind it. Numbers in the sources column open the cited source below.
| Measurement | Where | Cadence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feeder current, voltage and fault events | Feeder sensors and reclosers along the line | Continuous, with event capture | 12 |
| Transformer load and temperature | Distribution transformers | Continuous | 3 |
| Distributed resource output and behaviour | At the point of interconnection | Continuous | 4 |
| Weather in high-risk areas | Stations on poles in wildfire and storm risk areas | Continuous | 5 |
| Network coverage and device health | Every field device on the private network | Continuous | 67 |
03The observation stack
From one base unit to a network.
The same blocks at every scale: instruments and a base node, a site with its radio, a fleet run as one, and a network federated on the open protocol.
- 01
Base unit
A pole station: an industrial gateway reading feeder devices and meters, a modem on the utility network and weather sensors where risk calls for them.
Build a station → - 02
Site
A feeder: sensors, reclosers, transformer monitors and weather stations on poles, served by the private network’s radio sites.
Plan a site → - 03
Fleet
Every feeder of a utility run as one fleet, with one device inventory, one update ring and one evidence trail.
Managed offers → - 04
Network
Distribution operators, transmission operators and aggregators exchange data through federated records, each with the access the rules give them.
The open protocol →
- 01Energy and power-quality meter
- 02Compact weather station
- 03OT gateway (OPC UA, Modbus)
- 04Small cell (4G/5G)
- 055G core appliance (UPF/core)
- 06Zero-trust gateway
- 07Fibre terminal
- 08Battery case
- 09Pole
Radio and links
Private LTE
A utility private network reaches every pole and substation on spectrum the utility controls, with the priority grid devices need.
Radio and links
Fibre
Substations and depots join the core over fibre.
Radio and links
LoRaWAN
Low-cost transformer and fault indicators report small readings on batteries.
Radio and links
Public cellular
Where the private network is still being built, public cellular can carry non-critical data.
Edge computeSubstation edge nodes locate faults from feeder events, check voltage along each feeder and act within the limits operations sets, so restoration and voltage management do not wait for the central system.
PowerPole stations take power from the low-voltage supply with battery backup, so they report through the outages they are meant to locate.
04How it works
From the instrument to the product.
One observation’s path, tier by tier, with the interface on every link and a bill of materials below; then how the one node grows to a site, a fleet and federated networks.
Distribution networks and the grid edge: data path
– of 10
01 Instruments Measurement with sensor identity andcalibration 02 Node – Wrap in an observation envelope with timequality– Measure quality and uncertainty, attachquality flags– Buffer locally (store-and-forward when thelink drops) 03 Field radio 04 Radio access 05 Core network 06 Local network 07 Backhaul Commit with transactional outbox andpublish, delivered at least once 08 Site Consumer inbox deduplicates and applieseach record once into governed data 09 Data store Governed product through API, map orexport, correction-aware 10 Products IEC 61850DNP3 (IEEE 1815)IEEE 1547 11 Power and structure Supplies 12 V DC, 24 V DC, 48 V DC to thefield equipment Feeder devices and IEDs Not in the reference kit 01 Energy and power-quality meter SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 02 Compact weather station SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 03 OT gateway (OPC UA, Modbus) Ethernet · RS-485 · CAN · AnalogueI/O LTE routers on poles Not in the reference kit 04 Small cell (4G/5G) Ethernet · Fibre · GNSS antenna ·1PPS/10 MHz 05 5G core appliance (UPF/core) Ethernet · Fibre · BMC 06 Zero-trust gateway Ethernet · Fibre 07 Fibre terminal Fibre · Ethernet Site MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B Governed data store Versioned, correction-aware Feeder visibility: voltage,load and resources Located faults with evidence Transformer health andloading Outage and reliability records Private network performance 08 Battery case USB 09 Pole Ethernet · IEC 61850 RS-485 · Modbus RS-485 · Modbus Ethernet LTE/NR Ethernet Ethernet Fibre Fibre| Item | Equipment | Data ports | Protocols | Power in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Energy and power-quality meterMeter for voltage, current, power, energy and power quality at a site or on a feeder. | SDI-12RS-485Ethernet | Modbus, IEC 61850 (MMS, GOOSE), DNP3 (IEEE 1815), MQTT 5 | 12 V DC |
| 02 | Compact weather stationAll-in-one or compact station for temperature, humidity, pressure, wind and rain at a site. | SDI-12RS-485Ethernet | SDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API | 12 V DC |
| 03 | OT gateway (OPC UA, Modbus)Read-only bridge from industrial fieldbuses and controllers (Modbus, OPC UA, DNP3, IEC 61850, CAN) to the site network, behind a security boundary. | EthernetRS-485CANAnalogue I/O | OPC UA, Modbus, DNP3 (IEEE 1815), IEC 61850 (MMS, GOOSE), MQTT 5 | 24 V DC |
| 04 | Small cell (4G/5G)Integrated base station (radio, baseband, antenna) for private LTE or NR on a local licence, shared-spectrum or leased route. A CBRS CBSD is a small cell that also registers with a spectrum access system. | EthernetFibreGNSS antenna1PPS/10 MHz | 3GPP NR air interface, 3GPP E-UTRA air interface, IEEE 1588 PTP, O-RAN E2, A1, O1 | PoE, 48 V DC, AC mains |
| 05 | 5G core appliance (UPF/core)Local 5G standalone core with user-plane function and local breakout, so site traffic stays on site. | EthernetFibreBMC | 3GPP 5G core service-based interfaces, DMTF Redfish | AC mains, 48 V DC |
| 06 | Zero-trust gatewayGateway that terminates encrypted tunnels, enforces segmentation and gates every flow by identity and policy. | EthernetFibre | — | 12 V DC, AC mains |
| 07 | Fibre terminalOptical network terminal or media converter that lands fibre backhaul at a site. | FibreEthernet | IEEE 1588 PTP | 12 V DC, 48 V DC, AC mains |
| 08 | Battery casePortable battery pack with DC outputs for field kits. | USB | Modbus | AC mains, HV DC, USB PD |
| 09 | PoleUtility, street or dedicated pole with clamp positions. | — | — | — |
How it scales
01 Instruments Arbitrary qualified sensors and instruments whosemeasurements are ingested with calibration, units,geometry, time, custody and uncertainty. ×n 02 Node The minimum useful deployable unit: server, ruggedappliance, radio node, sensor gateway, satelliteterminal, AI, scientific, vehicle or virtual node. Node Node agent 03 Site The minimum independently operable localgovernance and failure domain: one or more nodesplus local network, identity, policy, evidence,storage, products and operator surfaces.SITE
Node Node Node ×n 04 Cluster An optional scale or specialisation domain forscheduling, shared storage, accelerators or datalocality.CLUSTER
×n 05 Fleet Coordinates plans, acknowledgements,convergence evidence, update campaigns andcorrection propagation across nodes and sites.FLEET
Fleet controller ×n 06 Federation An exchange of products, capabilities, events orwork across approved, independently administeredtrust domains, using explicit trust, policy,data-locality, version and correction contracts.TRUST DOMAIN
TRUST DOMAIN
TRUST DOMAIN
×n Verifier Applications Data in the field Telemetry Control Data upstream Control Data upstream Control Exchange Evidence Events Exchange- Data in the field
- MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B; connectors for LoRaWAN, OPC UA and instrument buses.
- Telemetry
- OpenTelemetry OTLP.
- Control
- TLS 1.3 with mutual authentication; protobuf messages over gRPC or HTTP/2.
- Data upstream
- At-least-once publication with repeat-safe keys over the control channel or NATS JetStream; QUIC MAY be used on lossy links.
- Evidence
- DSSE-signed in-toto statements; SLSA provenance; SCITT transparency receipts.
- Events
- Event envelopes mapped to CloudEvents 1.0; channels described in AsyncAPI 3.
- Exchange
- OpenAPI 3.1; the OGC API family; SensorThings; STAC; WIS 2.0.
05From order to operation
Every step, from the first call to a running site.
The same crew and the same record carry the work from scope to maintenance.
- 01 Order
Scope feeders and goals
The scope reads the utility’s reliability goals, distributed resource growth, wildfire risk areas and existing automation. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns a device plan per feeder class, the private network design, the integration with operations and a price per feeder and per substation. 4
- 02 Survey
Survey feeders and radio sites
Crews survey representative feeders, poles, transformers and substations with distribution and telecom engineers. They measure radio coverage, choose radio sites, check pole loading and power, and record each device position against the utility’s asset records. Feeders are chosen to represent the network’s classes, so the design repeats.
- 03 Permits
Spectrum, poles and security
The private network uses spectrum the utility holds or leases; pole attachments follow the utility’s standards; every field device joins only through the utility’s security programme. Changes to protection follow the utility’s procedures. Every device is registered in the asset records before it joins. 67
- 04 Build
Build devices by class
Pole stations, gateways, modems, transformer monitors and radio sites are built and tested by class, enrolled with their identities and labelled with asset numbers, so each device appears in the right place in the utility’s records from the first reading.
- 05 Install
Install feeder by feeder
Radio sites go in first, then pole stations, sensors and transformer monitors along each feeder under live-line or planned-outage procedures. Each installation is checked against the asset record and photographed. Crews follow the utility’s own work methods, and customers on affected feeders are told about planned outages in advance.
- 06 Commission
Commission devices and fault logic
Each device proves its identity and is checked against the substation’s measurements; fault location is tested against known events or tests; voltage logic runs in observation before it acts. Coverage and latency are measured and recorded per device. Results are signed into each device’s record.
- 07 Operate
See the feeder, restore faster
Operators see voltage, load and resources along each feeder, located faults with their evidence and device health across the network. Restoration and voltage actions are logged, and outage records support reliability reporting. Field crews see the same located fault on their devices, so they drive to the right section first.
- 08 Maintain
Grow with the grid edge
Devices are added as feeders grow and resources connect, software and security updates move in rings, and radio sites are added where coverage is needed. Every change updates the asset and network records. Devices that fall silent are visible at once, and their last readings stay in the record.
06Data products and integration
What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems.
Data products
- Feeder visibility: voltage, load and resourcesDistribution operators and planners
- Located faults with evidenceControl rooms and field crews
- Transformer health and loadingAsset managers
- Outage and reliability recordsRegulatory and reliability teams
- Private network performanceTelecom teams
Integration
- Distribution management and outage systemsDevice data and events follow IEC 61850 and DNP3 into the control room’s systems.
- Asset management and GISEvery device is tied to the utility’s asset records and maps.
- Resource aggregatorsDistributed resource data is exchanged under the interconnection rules and agreements.
Exchanged through IEC 61850, DNP3 (IEEE 1815), IEEE 1547.
07Questions buyers ask
Before you scope it.
Do we need our own spectrum?
A private network needs licensed, shared or leased spectrum; the plan sets out the route available to you.
Can it work with our existing reclosers and meters?
Usually yes. Devices with standard utility protocols are read through gateways, and their data joins the same record.
How is security handled?
Every device has a hardware identity, joins only after attestation and talks only through the utility’s security gateways.
Where do we start?
Most utilities start with the feeders where distributed resources, reliability or wildfire risk demand it most.
08Resources
The sources behind this page.
Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does.
- 1IEC 61850: Communication networks and systems for power utility automationInternational Electrotechnical Commission
- 2IEEE 1815: Distributed Network Protocol (DNP3)IEEE Standards Association
- 3ISO 55000: Asset management, vocabulary, overview and principlesInternational Organization for Standardization
- 4IEEE 1547: Interconnection and interoperability of distributed energy resourcesIEEE Standards Association
- 5Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observation (WMO-No. 8)World Meteorological Organization
- 6TS 23.501: System architecture for the 5G System, including non-public networks3GPP
- 7ISA/IEC 62443 series: security for industrial automation and control systemsISA and IEC
09Related
Use cases and solutions.
Use caseUtility grid-edge private LTE and wildfire weather
Private LTE on substations and poles for distribution automation, with weather nodes that inform public-safety power shutoff decisions.The full use case →Use caseRemote microgrid observatory
Solar, storage and power-quality telemetry with a weather station and a small cell, for a community that is reducing diesel.The full use case →SolutionPower-grid edge and right-of-way monitoring
Line temperature and sag, vegetation encroachment from EO and LiDAR, substation sensors and fire-weather at the right-of-way.Solutions for energy →SolutionPrivate Wireless as a Service
Standalone private 5G or LTE for a site, campus, port or mine: radios, core, SIMs, spectrum route and operations.Solutions for energy →SolutionPrivate and federated observing grids
Design and operation of an organisation’s own grid on the open protocol, with provider admission, device qualification and federation across trust domains.Solutions for energy →10Energy: specialized fields
Other fields of this industry.
Specialized fieldUpstream oil and gas
Methane detection and quantification at wellpads and facilities, flare and tank monitoring, wellhead flow and pressure, on satellite and private links for sites with no one on them.The full field →Specialized fieldPipelines and midstream
Leak detection, cathodic protection, pressure and flow along the line, geohazards at crossings and compressor and pump stations, on LoRaWAN, satellite and private links over hundreds of kilometres.The full field →Specialized fieldThermal power plants
Continuous emissions, machine condition, cooling water and plant weather for gas, coal and biomass plants, with an industrial network that keeps the control system separate and secure.The full field →Specialized fieldHydropower and dams
Dam safety instruments, reservoir and river levels, inflow forecasting and downstream warning, with links that keep working in the flood the dam is there to hold.The full field →Specialized fieldWind farms
Wind resource and power performance, turbine condition, icing, lightning and wildlife monitoring, from the first met mast to an operating farm on one record.The full field →Specialized fieldSolar power plants
Irradiance, module temperature, soiling, inverter output and plant weather to international monitoring classes, for bankable performance ratios and fewer surprises in operation.The full field →Specialized fieldTransmission networks
Line ratings from measured weather and conductor state, wildfire and vegetation watch, substation automation and synchrophasor timing, on private LTE, microwave and fibre along the corridor.The full field →Bring us the site.
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