Synchrophasor technology: Applications and benefits over conventional measurement

Synchrophasor technology is a growing area of interest for the electric power system. The technology is capable of fast, time-synchronized data that includes phase angles of the electrical measurements. When the energy management system (EMS) has access to the phasor representations of different electrical measurements, it opens the possibilities of more precise system monitoring. In the conventional measurement schemes, state estimation is dependent on magnitude measurements, power metering, low-resolution data, and physical estimates of grid facilities, such as transmission lines. It is not difficult to see that physical estimates of this expansive system can dramatically impact the accuracy of system monitoring. In this paper, data analysis and mathematical concepts are the primary methods of analysis. Measures for the evaluation involve frequency response, error measurements, and interference identification. In the analysis performed, it has been found that frequency can be directly linked to fault events. Also, the total vector error (TVE) of the synchrophasor data with respect to the conventional state estimations is near the compliant level of 1% for sufficient error tolerance. Although this is not a complete success, it does suggest that a synchrophasor-based state estimator scheme may very well support the compliance of the data. If the state estimator were supported by the high-resolution phasor measurements, this would conceivably satisfy the goals set forth by industry standards. Lastly, interference from storm conditions has also been analyzed, and some significant voltage disturbances were observed. These quick, detailed grid measurements could alleviate issues that have resulted from growing power system complexity. Synchrophasor technology has real potential for wide-area monitoring and system awareness.