Bulk Power System Reliability Assessment Experience with the RECS Program

This paper describes the philosophy, objectives, and experience in bulk power system reliability assessment using the RECS program. RECS stands for Reliability Evaluation Via Contingency Simulation. It is a modular and expandible program for assessing the reliability of the combined (generation/transmission) power system. The paper describes the concepts, models, computational techniques, and data reqquirements of the program. Emphasis is placed on the experience gained using this program for reliability studies of the Southern Company System. Studies of three subsystems of the Southern Company System are presented and discussed. Finally, future needs and developments are outlined.