SCADA

SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is the system that polls a site’s devices, raises alarms, stores history, and relays telemetry to the utility, without running any optimization.

In a battery storage or solar plant, SCADA is the supervision layer. It shows operators the site, records what happened, and executes the commands it is given. It does not decide dispatch; that is the energy management system. It does not enforce grid code; that is the power plant controller. An EMS usually publishes its aggregated site data to an existing SCADA through a Modbus or DNP3 server rather than replacing it.

Also called: Supervisory control and data acquisition