Substation Virtualization and Smart Grid Digitalization

Business Overview

Aduriz Distribución, an electric power distribution company with more than 125 years of experience, needed to advance its digitalization and virtualization strategy to modernize grid operations and improve operational efficiency. This transformation required the company to address several challenges at once: integrating technology across heterogeneous infrastructure, protecting a critical network against cyberthreats, managing data in real time, and operating increasingly intelligent and connected power grids.

To address these challenges, Aduriz turned to Barbara and deployed Barbara's platform across two low-voltage (LV) substations. This initial deployment represented a strategic step toward building smarter and more secure grid infrastructure.

Challenges

Aduriz operated a distribution network built with equipment from multiple manufacturers, running different protocols in environments with limited connectivity. The project needed to address four key challenges:

1. Heterogeneous infrastructure with incompatible systems: Aduriz's network combined Smilics WiBeee sensors using MQTT, smart meter concentrators based on the FTP protocol, and line-breakers using Modbus TCP/IP. Each had its own data format and communication requirements, so making them work together required a unified data collection layer.
2. Cybersecurity exposure across a critical network: As a distribution network operator managing critical infrastructure, Aduriz needed robust protection against cyberattacks and had to ensure that every device and data transmission remained resilient to vulnerabilities.
3. Lack of real-time data granularity and access: Existing systems could not collect, store, and analyse operational data in real time at the required level of detail, limiting the company's ability to monitor grid behaviour and respond quickly to incidents.
4. Operating in dark edge environments: Each LV substation operated with limited or no external connectivity. Any solution therefore needed to function autonomously at the edge while laying the groundwork for the integration of distributed energy resources such as solar generation and energy storage.

Solution

Using Barbara Core and Barbara Panel, Aduriz built an edge architecture designed to evolve progressively from a dark, disconnected environment into a fully intelligent edge infrastructure. Barbara Core was deployed on edge nodes at each substation, providing the secure runtime for all local applications and maintaining communication with Barbara Panel for remote orchestration and management.

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The deployment followed four distinct stages:

From a Dark Edge to a Connected Edge

The first priority was to establish connectivity and data acquisition. The key components deployed at this stage were:

• WiBeee Connector: Collected data from Smilics WiBeee sensors through an internal MQTT broker secured with certificates generated by Barbara. Barbara's secrets management functionality allowed the certificates to be updated later using credentials selected by Aduriz. The collected readings were then shared through an additional MQTT broker to facilitate integration with the rest of the architecture.
• FTP Meter Concentrator: Retrieved meter readings stored in an FTP repository and transferred them to InfluxDB for centralized storage and processing.

From a Connected Edge to an Informed Edge

Once the data acquisition layer was in place, the focus shifted to storing, visualizing, and distributing operational information. The components deployed at this stage were:

• InfluxDB: A time-series database used to store data collected from sensors and meters, supporting both real-time monitoring and historical analysis.
• Grafana: A visualization platform used to create dashboards displaying real-time and historical operational information from InfluxDB.
• Data Transmission layer: Transmitted operational data to Aduriz's central platforms through REST APIs or MQTT protocols, enabling integration with external systems and services.

From an Informed Edge to a Reactive Edge

With monitoring and reporting capabilities in place, Aduriz could apply business logic and automate operational workflows using:

• Node-RED: An open-source visual programming platform that simplified the integration of IoT devices and services through no-code workflows. Node-RED allowed Aduriz to automate processes, connect systems intuitively, and respond to operational events in real time.

Toward the Intelligent Edge

The ultimate objective of the project was to establish the foundations for an Intelligent Edge infrastructure capable of supporting advanced analytics, automation, and edge intelligence models directly within the substations.

For scenarios that required local node configuration without relying on Barbara Panel as a remote management interface, Aduriz deployed Barbara Solo. This deployment model installed Barbara Panel and Marketplace directly within the client's own on-premises environment, removing dependence on Barbara's cloud infrastructure. The approach gave field deployments greater operational flexibility and autonomy.

Results

Using Barbara's platform, Aduriz achieved significant improvements across its substation operations:

1. Continuous data streaming from legacy equipment: The infrastructure established uninterrupted data collection from heterogeneous equipment running different legacy protocols, eliminating previous blind spots in grid visibility.
2. Enhanced cybersecurity across critical infrastructure: All device communications were secured, while certificates were managed centrally through Barbara's secrets management functionality, maintaining robust protection across the entire deployment.
3. Real-time detection and response to grid events: The edge architecture maintained operational continuity and enabled incidents to be detected and addressed in real time without relying on centralized systems.
4. On-premises infrastructure with centralized remote maintenance: The infrastructure was hosted within Aduriz's own facilities while benefiting from remote maintenance and updates managed through Barbara Panel, combining operational autonomy with centralized oversight.
5. AI-ready foundation for the Secondary Transformation Centre: The deployment established the infrastructure required to execute and evolve AI models directly within the substations during future phases of the project.

Conclusions

Using Barbara's platform, Aduriz Distribución evolved from fragmented and partially invisible operating environments into a connected, resilient, and intelligent smart grid architecture. By unifying heterogeneous field equipment under a single edge management layer, the project established a secure, scalable, and AI-ready foundation capable of supporting future distributed intelligence and decentralized energy management across the distribution network.

The transformation also strengthened Aduriz's operations in two critical areas: cybersecurity across critical infrastructure and service continuity for the communities it serves. As distributed energy resources such as solar generation and energy storage become increasingly prevalent across its network, the edge infrastructure deployed with Barbara gives Aduriz the foundation it needs to manage this transition effectively and at scale.

About the Company

Aduriz Distribución is an electric power distribution company with more than 125 years of experience supplying electricity to rural communities in the region of Burgos, Spain.

The company focuses on modernizing its low-voltage infrastructure and advancing smart grid digitalization initiatives to improve operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and service quality. As part of its long-term commitment to innovation and sustainability, Aduriz is driving the integration of new technologies and intelligent grid capabilities across its distribution network.