IEEE Power and Energy Society
	Phoenix Chapter

Summary:

Advancements in the availability and installation of phasor measurement units (PMUs) have progressed faster than the installed base of applications for this new technology. The electric power industry has begun to recognize the potential for new synchronized phasor measurement (synchrophasor) applications but is only beginning to put these into service. Electric power systems are changing to meet economic, environmental, and political requirements. These changes have many consequences. There is greater transmission of power, with longer separations between generation and load; more distributed and relatively uncontrolled generation, such as wind power, is being installed. All of this is coupled with a greater drive for improved efficiency and reliability of service.

This presentation addressed how these changing power system requirements are being matched with the capabilities of widespread PMUs, phasor data concentration systems, and now synchrophasor vector processors. Traditional synchronized phasor measurement systems record system events for later analysis. Recent applications involve real-time display of synchronized values for use by system controllers to improve stability. The latest applications close the control loop by using wide-area measurements to initiate changes to the system state. In-service application examples are provided using synchrophasors for disturbance recording, control supervision, and direct control. Potential applications for direct stability and efficiency improvements are also presented. These technology advancements will help the electric power industry meet the challenges being faced. 34 persons attended. Click here for a photo taken during the presentation.