Substation monitoring for low-voltage networks
Real-time monitoring of substations, lines and load flows – for grid operators, industry and large-scale PV plants.
What is substation monitoring?
Substation monitoring enables the continuous recording and analysis of electrical parameters in low-voltage distribution systems and substations.
Typical measured values:
■ Current per conductor (up to several hundred amperes)
■ Voltage and power values
■ Power factor (cos φ)
■ Temperature in the station environment
■ Load flow direction
The aim is to make the station’s status transparent at all times and to detect critical conditions at an early stage.
Typical application areas for substation monitoring
Trafoboxes are used in particular for:
Commercial and industrial sites
Storage and hybrid systems
Low-voltage networks of grid operators
Charging infrastructure for e-mobility
PV systems and feed-in points
Decentralised energy systems
Substation monitoring enables reliable analysis and assessment of grid and load conditions – in both existing and new energy systems.
Why is transformer monitoring indispensable today?
The requirements for the power grid have changed dramatically:
Increasing feed-in from photovoltaics
Load peaks due to e-mobility and storage
Decentralisation of power generation
Higher requirements for grid stability
Without monitoring, this results in:
Non-transparent load situations
Delayed fault detection
Unplanned outages
With substation monitoring:
How does the retrofit substation monitoring work?
Monitoring is carried out via compact measurement systems directly in the station:
Special feature: Installation is carried out without intervening in existing systems – ideal for retrofitting.
System structure of substation monitoring
Substation monitoring records electrical parameters directly in the distribution system and transmits them to higher-level systems for analysis.
Which data is recorded?
Typical parameters:
This data is stored locally or transmitted to a monitoring system
Communication & data transmission
LTE / mobile network →
for direct cloud connectivity
LoRaWAN →
ideal for large networks & municipal utilities
local interfaces →
integration into existing systems
Depending on the application, various communication paths are available:
This makes substation monitoring suitable for both individual systems and large grid structures.
Benefits of the Trafobox in operation
■ Transparency in the low-voltage grid
■ Early detection of overloads
■ Optimisation of grid utilisation
■ Control over energy flows
■ Avoidance of downtime
■ Load management possible
■ Analysis of feed-in and load
■ Basis for storage strategies
■ Monitoring of grid impacts
Retrofit existing substations
A major advantage of modern Trafoboxes is their easy integration:
Safety & reliability
Substation monitoring is designed for industrial use:
■ robust enclosures (IP66/IP67)
■ temperature resistance
■ reliable data transmission
■ operation even in the event of a grid outage (buffering possible)
Integration into energy management systems
The recorded data can be further processed by:
■ grid control centres
■ SCADA systems
■ energy management platforms
This turns pure monitoring into an active control instrument.
Conclusion – transparency for tomorrow’s power grid
Substation monitoring is no longer a “nice-to-have”, but a key building block of modern energy infrastructure.
It enables:
Project inquiry: substation monitoring
Would you like to design a substation monitoring system for your specific project, record grid parameters, or select the right monitoring solution for your substation, low-voltage network or energy system?
Using the enquiry form below, we capture all relevant project data in a structured and traceable manner.
You are welcome to send grid plans, load profiles, measurement concepts or other technical documents directly with your enquiry. Based on this, we analyse your requirements, define suitable measurement points and communication paths, and configure the Trafobox optimally for your application.
Trafobox project enquiry
Project-specific design of Trafoboxes for recording grid and load data in substations and low-voltage networks.
Trafobox technical documents
Datasheets, system overviews and technical documentation for substation monitoring and integration into existing systems.
Products
Trafobox
Overview of monitoring solutions for various applications in the low-voltage network and in energy systems.