The Wide World of Wide-area Measurement

Abstract

TThe inTeresT in phasor measuremenT Technology has reached a peak in recent years, as the need for the best estimate of the power system's state is recognized to be a crucial element in improving its performance and its resilience in the face of catastrophic failures. in most countries installing the phasor measurement units (pmus) and getting to know the pmu system behavior through continuous observations of system events has been the first step. all installations are reaching for a hierarchical wide-area measurement system (Wams) so that the measurements obtained from various substations on the system can be collected at central locations from which various monitoring, protection, and control applications can be developed. in this article, experts from several countries summarize their Wams-related activities in some detail. it is of course not possible to claim that this is a complete list of countries pursuing this technology. To the best of our knowledge similar activities are also progressing in south africa, Taiwan, Japan, and several other countries. however, the contributions here provide an account of the most advanced stages in Wams development in major world economies.-A.G. Phadke The Brazilian national interconnect power system (sin) is characterized with a dominant hydroelectric power generation and long-distance power transfers from generation parks to load centers (Figure 1). studies for phasor measurement applications in Brazil were started in the early 1990s by the study committee of the interconnected operation coordination group (gcoi), prior to the deregulation of the Brazil energy sector. difficulties faced by the Brazilian economy during that decade and the restructuring process of the electric energy sector delayed the project.

Improving the performance of power system protection using wide area monitoring systems

“…Through developments in synchronized measurement technology and the creation of phasor measurement units (PMUs) [1], WAM is able to offer a real time view of the dynamic behavior of a power system that updates once per cycle. This information has proven an invaluable resource for creating new applications that can benefit power system protection and control [2][3][4][5][6].…”

A software development toolkit for real-time synchrophasor applications

“…Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMS) are one of the key elements needed for intelligent operation of power systems and are enablers for Smart Grids at the transmission level [1] [2]. These systems, which have been used across the world by different Transmission System Operators (TSOs), successfully contribute to operational enhancement of power systems [3].…”

Investigation of the adaptability of transient stability assessment methods to real-time operation

“…in [2]. The phasor measurement technology [3]- [5] is seen as the enabling technology for the development of real-time wide area monitoring and control applications [6], [7].…”