CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Places & Architecture

IEC 61850

standard for vendor-agnostic engineering of the configuration of Intelligent Electronic Devices for electrical substation automation systems to be able to communicate with each other;part of IEC TC57 reference architecture for electric power systems

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 23, 2026
Entity authorityQ168160
Source-derived summary

IEC 61850 is an international standard defining communication protocols for intelligent electronic devices at electrical substations. It is a part of the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) Technical Committee 57 reference architecture for electric power systems. The abstract data models defined in IEC 61850 can be mapped to a number of protocols. Current mappings in the standard are to Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS), Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) [see section 3, Terms and definitions, term 3.65 on page 14], SV (Sampled Values) or SMV (Sampled Measure Values), and so on to web services. In the previous version of the standard, GOOSE stood for "Generic Object Oriented Substation Event", but this old definition is still very common in IEC 61850 documentation.

See also

Conformance testing – Type of testing for standards, contracts and regulations

DNP3 – Computer network protocol

Generic Substation Events – Communications method used in power grids

IEC 60870-5-104 – Telecontrol standardPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

IEC/IEEE 61850-9-3 – International standard for time synchronisation

IEC 61968 – Series of communication protocol standards

IEC 61970 – IEC standard

Precision Time Protocol – Network time synchronization protocol

Substation Configuration Language – Format for configuration of electrical substations

References

External links

Detailed Introduction to IEC 61850

IEC 61850 Technical Issues website

UCA International Users Group

61850 Users Group

For R&D Labs and Testing of 61850 devices

IEC61850: A Protocol with Powerful Potential

Smart High Voltage Substation Based on IEC 61850 Process Bus and IEEE 1588 Time Synchronization

Test and evaluation system for multi-protocol sampled value protection schemes by Dr.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “IEC 61850” as standard for vendor-agnostic engineering of the configuration of Intelligent Electronic Devices for electrical substation automation systems to be able to communicate with each other;part of IEC TC57 reference architecture for electric power systems. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1588—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where standard, vendor-agnostic and engineering can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as standard for vendor-agnostic engineering of the configuration of Intelligent Electronic Devices for electrical substation automation systems to be able to communicate with each other;part of IEC TC57 reference architecture for electric power systems. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q168160. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1588.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “IEC 61850”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow IEC 61850 primary sources, IEC 61850 archive and standard research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “IEC 61850”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from IEC 61850” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.