DSO RTU
Grid operators
The grid operators Voltmasters supports for DSO RTU today, what each of them steers and how, and how new operators are added.
DSO RTU is operator-specific. Each grid operator defines its own:
- Protocol: how the RTU and the EMS communicate, and which side initiates.
- Data model: which limits, modes, commands and measurements are exchanged, and how they are encoded.
- Instruction semantics: what a value means, when it takes effect, and what happens when the link is lost.
- Certification process: the conformity test the installation must pass.
The Voltmasters EMS hides all of this behind a single DSO RTU provider setting per project. What stays the same for every operator is the part closest to your installation: the EMS translates whatever it receives into the same internal set of constraints, and curtails PV, batteries, EV charging and loads through the same control loop. What differs is what arrives at the front door.
The operators are not interchangeable in behaviour. Fluvius instructs in percentages that take effect immediately and can order an emergency stop; ORES instructs in absolute megawatts that take effect five minutes later and has no emergency stop at all; Sibelga instructs a percentage per production type and has no emergency stop either. Read the operator's own page before commissioning a site, and do not carry expectations from one operator over to another.
Selecting the provider
The DSO RTU provider is configured per project under Configuration → Grid & market → DSO RTU settings. When a provider is selected, the EMS activates the matching DSO RTU interface and starts accepting the grid operator's RTU connection.
Some providers need a recent controller version. If the option does not appear in the dropdown, update the controller first.
Currently supported
| Grid operator | Region | Link | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluvius | Flanders (BE) | Netflex (IEC-104) | Supported |
| Sibelga | Brussels (BE) | Modbus (RS-485) | Supported |
| ORES | Wallonia (BE) | Modbus RTU (RS-485) | Supported |
Fluvius telecontrole can also reach the EMS through an EME eCON+ panel over Modbus TCP instead of a direct Netflex link. The panel is an interface option for Fluvius, not a separate grid operator, so it is documented under Fluvius.
How the operators compare
| Aspect | Fluvius | Sibelga | ORES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | IEC 60870-5-104 over Ethernet | Modbus, bridged to RS-485 | Modbus RTU over RS-485 |
| Role of the EMS | Server, the RTU connects to it | Modbus slave, the RTU is the master | Modbus slave, the RTU is the master |
| Instruction form | Percentage of contractual capacity and of installed asset power | Percentage of maximum production, per production type | Absolute power in MW and MVAr |
| What is limited | Connection point and asset categories | Each production type separately | Injection at the connection point |
| Takes effect | Immediately | Immediately | Five minutes after receipt |
| Reactive power | Band (min and max Q) | Cos φ target per production type | Absolute kVAr target |
| Emergency stop | Yes, production and consumption | Not on this link | Not on this link |
| Reason codes | Yes (normal, congestion, test) | None | None |
| Link supervision | State of the IEC-104 connection | Whether the slave is serving | A watchdog in each direction |
| Hardwired IO needed | Optional, for a hardware emergency stop | Optional, to report the breaker positions | Optional, for the watchdog contacts |
Roadmap
Voltmasters keeps extending DSO RTU to other grid operators. Because the EMS is provider-pluggable, adding an operator means adding its protocol mapping and its instruction semantics, without changing how your assets are curtailed or how the installation is monitored on the platform.
| Grid operator | Region | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Other operators | On request | Contact Voltmasters |
Need DSO RTU for a grid operator that is not listed yet? Contact Voltmasters. The interface is designed to be extended, and the commissioning and certification support works the same way for every operator.
Per-operator documentation
- Fluvius, telecontrole over the Netflex interface.
- Fall-Back Flex, the congestion formula that runs on top of the Netflex link.
- EME eCON+ panel, Fluvius telecontrole relayed through a panel over Modbus TCP.
- Sibelga, a setpoint per production type over Modbus.
- ORES, absolute power setpoints over a Modbus RS-485 producer link.