Virtualizing the Grid Edge: Real-Time Determinism, SEAPATH, and the Future of Digital Substations

Co-authored by Miguel Pérez Colino & Jurriën Bloemen Modern electric utilities are reaching a critical turning point. Legacy power substations have historically relied on single-purpose, proprietary hardware appliances—often referred to as Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs). This hardware-bound model introduces rigid vendor lock-in, slow deployment cycles, complex maintenance, and high operational expenditure.