Panel on big data to enhance grid planning and operations

Synchrophasor measurements, as obtained from phasor measurement units (PMUs), of power system frequency, voltages, and currents provide several important capabilities beyond the traditional 4-second substation data used in the energy management systems of control centers. These properties include precise time tagging of the measured data using GPS signals, high sampling rate at 30/50/60 samples per second, and the phase as well as the magnitude of the voltage and current phasors. Thus the PMU data can be used to monitor power system dynamics, such as the impact of a disturbance as it spreads to other regions, and oscillations during disturbances and under ambient condition. This presentation will survey these applications and identify research challenges.