Integration & automation: From protection to advanced energy management systems

This paper proposes an integrated and seamless infrastructure for protection, control and operation of an electric power system. At the lower level we propose a on dynamic state estimation of a protection zone for the purpose of providing protection for the zone. This scheme simplifies the protection approach for the zone by not requiring coordination with other protection zones (setting-less protection). The scheme provides the real time dynamic model of the zone as well as the real time operating conditions. The scheme can be also implemented in present day numerical relays with GPS synchronization. Using this basic protection infrastructure, we propose that the real time model of substation be autonomously created, send to the control center where the real time model of the system is also autonomously created. The system wide real time model is used to perform system optimization functions, and then send commands back through the same communication structure to specific power system components. Since protection is present in any power apparatus the proposed approach is realizable with very small investment. The availability of the real time dynamic state of the system enables the seamless integration of applications in the proposed system. Three applications are discussed in the paper: (a) setting-less protection, (b) stability monitoring, and (c) voltage/var control.