Vahid Madani

Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection, and Control of Future Electric Power Networks

Wide-area monitoring, protection, and control (WAMPAC) involves the use of system-wide information and the communication of selected local information to a remote location to counteract the propagation of large disturbances. Synchronized measurement technology (SMT) is an important element and enabler of WAMPAC. It is expected that WAMPAC systems will in the future reduce the number of catastrophic blackouts and generally improve the reliability and security of energy production, transmission, and distribution, particularly in power networks with a high level of operational uncertainties. In this paper, the technological and application issues are addressed. Several key monitoring, protection, and control applications are described and discussed. A strategy for developing a WAMPAC system in the United Kingdom is given as well.

Shedding light on blackouts

Analysis of recent disturbances reveals some common threads among them, leading to a conclusion that some disturbances can be prevented. As there are no perfect solutions to prevent blackouts, which are usually caused by a complex sequence of cascading events, a number of different measures need to be undertaken to minimize the impact of future disturbances. This paper attempts to list some of the common causes, to offer various solutions, and to highlight the need for prudent investment and deployment of well-defined and coordinated overall plans to prevent blackouts.

IEEE PSRC Report on Global Industry Experiences With System Integrity Protection Schemes (SIPS)

This paper is a summary of the IEEE Power System Relaying Committee report on the System Integrity Protection Schemes (SIPS) survey. The SIPS role is to counteract system instability, maintaining overall system connectivity, and/or to avoid serious equipment damage during major system events. The survey describes industry experiences with this category of protection schemes applied to protect the integrity of the power system. It is designed to provide guidance for SIPS users and implementers based on surveyed operating practices and lessons learned. The survey includes a global participation through the comprehensive effort of IEEE and CIGRE.

Performance evaluation of phasor measurement systems

After two decades of phasor network deployment, phasor measurements are now available at many major substations and power plants. The North American SynchroPhasor Initiative (NASPI), supported by the US Department of Energy and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), provides a forum to facilitate cultivating the efforts in phasor technology in North America and globally. Phasor applications have been explored and some are in todays utility practice. The IEEE C37.118 Standard is a milestone in standardizing phasor measurements and defining performance requirements. To comply with the IEEE C37.118 and to better understand the impact of phasor quality on applications, the NASPI Performance and Standards Task Team (PSTT) has prepared two comprehensive documents which leverage prior industry work (esp. in WECC) and international experience. The first document describes PMU testing based on both IEEE C37.118 requirements and required dynamic performance tests. The second document describes characterization of PMUs and instrumentation channels based on practical information. This paper summarizes the accomplished PSTT work and presents the methods for phasor measurement evaluation to assure consistent PMU system performance.

Distribution Automation Strategies Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing Landscape

With the spotlight on smart grid development around the world, it is critical to recognize the key factors contributing to changing power system characteristics. This is more apparent in distribution systems with the integration of renewable energy sources, energy storage, and microgrid development. Utilities are also focusing on the reliability and resiliency of the grid. These activities require distribution automation (DA) strategies that take advantage of available technologies while promoting newer solutions. It is necessary to create a roadmap for holistic DA strategies in a smarter grid. Sustainable and resilient grid development is a paradigm shift requiring a new line of thinking in the engineering, operation, and maintenance of the power system. International perspectives on DA are also addressed, with the understanding that one solution will not fit all. Integrating technical, business, and policy decisions into the challenges will generate the development of technologies, standards, and implementation of the overall solution. The challenges in the development of industry standards are also discussed. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities in the changing landscape of the distribution systems. Evolution of technologies and the business case for infrastructure investment in distribution systems are covered in another paper by the same authors.

System-wide Protection

By its very definition, as applied to power system protection, wide-area measurement systems (WAMSs) are a synergistic combination of relays, measuring instruments, control equipment, automation equipment, monitoring equipment, and communication employed to encompass extensive system elements as opposed to the more traditional view of individual equipment or point-to-point protection. The increasing world-wide application of digital devices and high-speed wideband communication and global positioning systems (GPSs) plus the growing acceptance of adaptive relay protection philosophy and practice have dramatically altered the fundamental role of power-system protection.

Strategies to meet grid challenges for safety and reliability

Interconnected and integrated electrical power systems, by their very dynamic nature are complex. These multifaceted systems are subject to a host of challenges (e.g. aging infrastructure, distributed resources, reliability coordination). Recent worldwide events have demonstrated that it is time to re-examine traditional planning, operating, system design, and protection and control application, coordination, and setting criteria, to identify and implement solutions and tools. This article describes the strategies to meet grid challenges in providing reliable power delivery. Solutions are offered through applications of modern technology, advanced feedback control schemes using wide area measurements, wide-area visualisation techniques, and intelligent operational tools using IEC-61850 and information semantics to improve grid reliability under complicated power system conditions. The goal is to provide a vision for a comprehensive and systematic approach to meeting the grid safety and reliability management challenges through new information services.

Distribution Automation Strategies: Evolution of Technologies and the Business Case

With the spotlight on smart grid development around the world, it is critical to recognize the key factors contributing to changing power-system characteristics. This is more apparent in distribution systems with the integration of renewable energy sources, energy storage, and microgrid development. Source and load control at the distribution level is a key requirement of the evolving system. These activities require distribution automation (DA) strategies that take advantage of available technologies, while promoting newer solutions. It is necessary to create a roadmap for holistic DA strategies in a smarter grid. Sustainable and resilient grid development is a paradigm shift requiring a new line of thinking in the engineering, operation, and maintenance of the power system. Distributed control architectures based on dynamic load and source data should be explored as a possible solution. This paper discusses a novel approach that integrates protection, control, and monitoring using high-performance computing at the primary distribution substation level. The business case for infrastructure investment in the distribution systems is also discussed. This paper concludes with a discussion on emerging and future technologies for DA to improve the resiliency of a sustainable grid.

Cybersecurity risk testing of substation phasor measurement units and phasor data concentrators

bulk electric transmission systems will include substation automation, synchrophasor measurement systems, and automated control algorithms which leverage wide area monitoring system to better control the grid. Prior to installation of new networked devices, utilities should perform cybersecurity testing and develop corrective actions for identified vulnerabilities. This paper outlines testing performed prior to the installation of a synchrophasor wide area monitoring system. Phasor measurement unit and phasor data concentrator devices from multiple vendors were subjected to laboratory testing including; device security feature identification, port scans, network congestion testing, denial of service testing, protocol mutation testing, and network traffic disclosure testing. This paper outlines the procedures used to perform the testing and discusses the types of results expected from testing.

PMU placement considerations — A roadmap for optimal PMU placement

Recent investments in the Synchrophasor technology have energized the industry and a significant number of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) are being deployed. By some estimates, just in North America, the number of PMU installations is expected to grow five-fold — from approximately 200 today to over a 1000. The first step in PMU deployment is a clear roadmap of the process for selecting the location of the additional PMU devices and establishing guidelines to assist with this decision-making process. Many of the existing optimal PMU placement approaches are mainly focused on a particular application (such as improving State Estimation). This paper proposes a more comprehensive, holistic set of criteria for optimizing PMU placement based on sound practical solutions by experienced industry practitioners. The methodology offers the flexibility for considering multiple, diverse factors that can influence the PMU siting decision-making process, including incorporating several practical implementation aspects (e.g. communications infrastructure, prohibitive deployment cost, etc). Application needs, reliability requirements, and infrastructure challenges that drive the overall solution for optimal PMU location selection are formulated and described.