Frequently asked questions
Short answers about virtualized protection and control, open source and how VIRTEON works.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtualized substation (vPAC)?
vPAC — virtualized Protection, Automation and Control — runs substation protection and control functions as software applications on a small number of redundant, standardized industrial servers, instead of on dozens of dedicated proprietary hardware relays. It decouples the protection software from the hardware.
How is VIRTEON different from incumbent vendors?
Established vendors build on proprietary hardware and vendor-specific tools, and even their virtualized products stay tied to their own ecosystem. VIRTEON is open and multi-vendor by design, built on community SEAPATH rather than a proprietary base, and neutral — competing manufacturers can all participate, which an OEM-owned platform cannot offer.
What is SEAPATH?
SEAPATH is an open-source substation virtualization platform hosted by LF Energy and championed by RTE. VIRTEON builds on it rather than reinventing the low-level virtualization layer, concentrating its engineering on the application environment, the marketplace, certification and the qualification corpus.
Does VIRTEON support IEC 61850?
Yes. The architecture is built natively on the IEC 61850 process bus — Sampled Values for measurements, GOOSE for fast protection signalling, and SCL for configuration — and targets Level A certification in stages.
Is an open platform secure?
Openness does not mean weakness. It means auditable code, controlled access, repeatable deployment and transparent security. The platform follows IEC 62351, marketplace applications are screened for NIS2 compliance, and supervision runs only under explicit operator authorization.
Is the technology proven?
An operational proof of concept has demonstrated virtualized protection running on the platform — a full IEC 61850 process-bus stack with multi-zone distance protection and backup functions, validated end-to-end in a real-time closed-loop environment across dozens of fault scenarios.
Who are VIRTEON's customers?
Primarily European transmission and distribution system operators, utilities building new substations for electrification and renewable integration, and the protection- and automation-application vendors who publish to the marketplace.
How can an application vendor join the marketplace?
Vendors publish their protection, automation, monitoring or cybersecurity algorithms as applications, with neutral certification as the entry gate. Get in touch via contact@virteon.eu.