The vPAC Alliance at DISTRIBUTECH 2026

At DISTRIBUTECH 2026, the vPAC Alliance brought utilities and technology providers together to show how open, virtualized protection, automation, and control can help modernize substations.The booth featured two live racks representing separate substations. Live fault injection and visible protection-response demonstrations showed how software-defined infrastructure can support greater flexibility, resilience, interoperability, and lifecycle efficiency.

Industry Conversations

Throughout the event, vPAC Alliance members participated in a series of recorded discussions covering:

The business and operational case for substation virtualization
Utility perspectives on modernization
Open and interoperable architectures
Virtualized protection, automation, and control
Deployment, cybersecurity, and lifecycle management
The next steps toward software-defined substations

At DISTRIBUTECH 2026, vPAC Alliance members demonstrated virtualized protection and automation through live substation simulations and hosted discussions with utilities and technology providers. Explore the recorded panel conversations and read The Grid’s Architectural Turning Point eBook to learn more about the industry’s progress toward software-defined substations.

Continue the Conversation

The event’s key themes and industry perspectives are captured in the vPAC Alliance eBook, The Grid’s Architectural Turning Point. The publication explores why the grid needs a more open, flexible, and software-defined foundation—and what utilities and technology providers can do next.

Read Inside

Watch the Panel Interviews at DTech 2026

Panel Interviews

Looking Ahead to DISTRIBUTECH 2027

Building on the momentum from 2026, the vPAC Alliance will continue bringing utilities and technology providers together at DISTRIBUTECH 2027 to share progress, demonstrate real-world solutions, and advance the adoption of software-defined substations.

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