Timing and Synchronization in the Power Industry

Synchronization is absolutely fundamental to the safety, redundancy, and dependability of our energy infrastructure. Modern power generation is automated to an incredible extent and systems need to respond to incidents and changes within milliseconds. If a human needs to intervene directly, it’s probably already too late. Every networked device thus requires precise and continuous synchronization.

Challenges for Synchronization in Power Generation

The advancement of automation in power generation has been relentless, but but also necessary to ensure the continuing stability of our power grids. As renewable energies and distributed generation account for an increasing share of our energy mix, and the demand for electricity continues to increase as we move away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles and appliances towards purely electrical solutions, so too do the challenges for the power industry grow.

Alongside supply-side challenges, the increase in geopolitical instability and the rise of cyberwarfare put this heavily automated power generation at greater risk. For most countries, the power industry is critical infrastructure and is therefore an appealing target for state-level and criminal cyberattackers, who can exploit GPS/GNSS signals to disrupt a power station’s time synchronization and cause frequency volatility in the grid.

Trust in Experience

Meinberg is backed by decades of experience in precision timing, and maintains close ties with the power generation industry to ensure that Meinberg's powerful time servers meet the industry's specific needs of the power industry in terms of performance, availability, standards compliance, and security.

Find out in this video just how Meinberg technology is optimized for the needs of our modern electricity supply.

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How Meinberg Timing Solutions Are Used

One of the most common uses of Meinberg time server technology lies in the automation of power substations to ensure that voltage, current, and frequency levels are maintained at a stable level. Given that the supply of power must be consistently balanced with network load to achieve this stability, rapid changes to the supply of energy have to be made in response to voltage & frequency changes, effectively in real time.

Power grids employ modern phasor measurement units (PMUs) or conventional SCADA-based measuring systems that measure voltages, currents, frequencies, and impedances at different parts of the power grid. These measurements require synchronized timestamps with precision measurable in microseconds to enable measurements at different locations to be compared with one another.

Sync Solutions for the Power Industry (PDF)

PTP in Power Applications

In May 2022 we held an online seminar on the application of PTP in power generation applications and how Meinberg synchronization systems specifically cater to the needs of the power industry. It was very well-attended with viewer submitting some very intriguing questions for our hosts. You can view a recording of the seminar below, and download a copy of the slides that our hosts prepared for the event.

Download the Presentation (PDF)

And course, if you want to be kept in the loop about Meinberg's free online seminars in the future, remember to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to make sure that you always receive the latest Meinberg news.

Our Mission since 1979

With its many years of expertise, Meinberg has become a global leader in time synchronization solutions. The company’s flagship IEEE 1588 grandmaster clocks and NTP time servers have set the industry standard for innovation, flexibility, and reliability—making them one of the market’s top network time synchronization solution providers.

Meinberg products are used around the world, delivering synchronization for mission-critical applications in digital broadcasting, power grid/substation automation, telecommunication networks, aerospace, financial applications, and cutting-edge research.

Meinberg's PTP Grandmasters in Power Generation Environments

IMS LANTIME M500

The IMS LANTIME M500 is a DIN-rail mounted, compact form-factor time server solution that is designed for use in industrial environments and for power generation applications. With a modular design that allows modules to be hotswapped out with a minimum of disruption, the M500 can be quickly adapted to your changing operational needs, providing alternative clock references and different output signals.

Discover the M500 (PDF)

IMS LANTIME M1000

Housed in a 19” 1RU rackmount chassis, the IMS LANTIME M1000 combines the power, reliability, and compact dimensions of Meinberg’s standalone LANTIME servers with the flexibility and versatility of a customizable modular system. It strikes a perfect balance between space economy and flexibility, taking up just a single rack unit while offering the scalability and flexibility needed to adapt to changing requirements with the integration of new technologies and new interfaces.

Discover the M1000 (PDF)

IMS LANTIME M3000

Meinberg’s IMS LANTIME M3000 provides unprecedented power and flexibility in a 3RU-tall chassis, with plenty of capacity for multi-level redundancy and considerable scalability for future expansion. With full support for clock redundancy, up to 100W of power supply redundancy, and the ability to integrate up to 40 outputs, the M3000 is one of the most cost-effective time & signal synchronization solutions on the market.

Discover the M3000 (PDF)

Meinberg IMS LANTIME M500, M1000 and M3000

microSync Product Family

microSync HR

microSync HR is a compact and feature-rich synchronization device and offers a high level of efficiency and flexibility. It can be deployed in a large range of different industries and applications. This innovative, multipurpose synchronization solution offers a variety of outstanding features – all within a compact, space-efficient half-rack design.

Learn more about the microSync HR

microSync RX

microSync RX is an innovative, multipurpose synchronization solution offering a variety of outstanding features within a 19 inch rackmount case design. The redundant power supply makes it a reliable and universal sync solution.

Learn more about the microSync RX

Meinberg microSync HR AND RX
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