Role of synchrophasor technology in the development of a smarter transmission grid

Synchrophasor technology was first introduced in 1980s. Since then, many electric utilities such as American Electric Power (AEP), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Southern California Edison (SCE), New York Power Authority (NYPA), as well as universities such as Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), have been conducting R&D to explore and advance the application of synchrophasor technology. The R&D pace has accelerated recently, mainly due to active participation and leadership provided by US Department Of Energy (DOE) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). These R&D efforts have shown that the synchrophasor technology has promise to greatly enhance the transmission planning, design & operations functions. This paper provides a brief description of synchrophasor technology and summarizes potential synchrophasor technology applications that can contribute towards the development of a smarter transmission grid.