Energy Resilient, Precise Timing for the Smart Grid

Accurate and reliable synchronisation is critical to today’s power networks. As a Microchip Value Added Reseller and specialist timing partner, Chronos combines market-leading timing technology with the expertise to design, install and support complete synchronisation solutions for the energy sector.

Modern power networks are becoming increasingly decentralised and bidirectional. Renewable generation, distributed energy resources, digital substations and advanced grid monitoring are placing greater demands on the infrastructure that connects and controls the network.

Precise time is fundamental to this transformation.

Chronos has extensive experience delivering synchronisation solutions for the energy sector, with expertise across IEC 61850 communications, IEEE 1588 PTP, NTP and IRIG timing technologies.

We work with utilities, system integrators and infrastructure operators to ensure their timing architecture delivers the accuracy, resilience and availability required by critical power applications.

Precision that keeps the grid synchronised

High-speed communications between power plants, substations and grid equipment require highly accurate timing to ensure measurements and events can be correctly correlated across the network.

Applications such as wide-area phasor measurement, protection, fault detection and sampled value process buses can require timing accuracy at the microsecond or sub-microsecond level.

But precision is only part of the challenge.

With GNSS increasingly recognised as a vulnerable source of timing due to the risks of jamming, spoofing and signal disruption, modern Smart Grids need synchronisation architectures that can maintain accurate time when their primary reference is compromised.

Chronos helps energy organisations build resilient timing infrastructures that continue to perform when GNSS is unavailable or disrupted.

From timing technology to a complete network solution

As a Microchip Value Added Reseller and timing specialist, Chronos provides much more than the equipment itself.

Our experienced team can support you throughout the lifecycle of your synchronisation infrastructure, from initial requirements and network architecture through to deployment and ongoing support.

Our expertise includes:

• Network design – developing timing architectures around your operational, performance and resilience requirements
• Product selection – specifying the right Microchip timing technologies for your network and applications
• Installation and commissioning – professional deployment and configuration of timing equipment across your infrastructure
• System integration – integrating timing into existing network, communications and control environments
• Training – giving your engineering and operational teams the knowledge they need to manage and maintain their timing infrastructure
• Support and maintenance – ongoing technical support to help keep your synchronisation network accurate, resilient and available

This combination of market-leading technology and specialist engineering expertise means you have a single, experienced partner to help you get the most from your timing infrastructure.

Precision anywhere

Maintain time to within hundreds of nanoseconds of UTC, even when disconnected from GPS/GNSS and external power sources, with TimePort.

TimePort provides a resilient timing reference for applications where accurate time needs to be maintained independently of conventional external sources.

Microchip timing solutions for the energy sector

Chronos works closely with Microchip, a leading provider of precision timing and synchronisation technology.

Discover Microchip’s Energy Solutions, including rugged, industry-standard timing technologies designed for demanding power applications.

From master clocks and grandmasters to PTP timing distribution and network synchronisation, Microchip provides the technology. Chronos provides the specialist expertise to design, deploy and support the complete solution.

Whole-network solutions for timing and cyber security

Synchronisation needs to be considered across the entire Smart Grid — from generation and transmission through to substations and the individual devices operating within them.

In our insight, Chronos Technical Manager Christian Farrow explores how Smart Grids can benefit from reliable, available and assured synchronisation, and how advances in cyber security can help protect critical timing infrastructure.

Discover how resilient frequency, phase and time generation, combined with secure timing distribution, can help build a more resilient Smart Grid.

Your timing partner for the Smart Grid

Whether you are upgrading an existing substation, implementing IEC 61850, deploying PTP across your network or developing a resilient timing architecture for a future Smart Grid, Chronos can help.

The Chronos Difference

With specialist timing expertise, Microchip technology and end-to-end engineering support, Chronos can help you design and deploy a synchronisation solution that delivers the precision, resilience and reliability your power network demands. Contact our team.

Follow Chronos on LinkedIn

For expert insight into resilient synchronisation and timing, GNSS resilience, jamming and spoofing, Smart Grid, IEC61850 and PTP expertise, practical advice from our technical specialists, product updates, industry news and events and real-world applications of resilient PNT, follow us on LinkedIn