Power Outage in San Diego on September 08, 2011, and Synchrophasors

The other day I reported on standards for synchrophasor measurements. The question was and still is: Could synchrophasor measurements prevent huge black outs? Some say yes – others say maybe or no.

Today it has been reported by Platts (Atlanta) that “The installation of phasor measurement units on part of the power grid affected by the September 8 power outage in Arizona, California and Mexico is aiding the data collection process as entities look into the cause of the outage, the head of the North American Electric Reliability Council said Monday. … Synchrophasors provide precise measurements of critical grid operating data from devices called phasor measurement units, which inform operators of conditions on a real-time basis. The goal of having the units in place is to help operators see conditions deteriorate and take actions to avoid large outages, Paul Barber of the NERC board of trustees said Tuesday.”

Obviously the synchrophasor measurements could not prevent the power outage on September 8, 2011. There needs to be experts to interpret the values!! and understand what to do to stabilize the electric system … or software needs to be written by experts …

What is missing in many organizations to keep control over the electric power delivery system? Peopleware!! Well educated Experts that understand the electrical system !! Measurements are a tool: Even a fool with a tool is a fool. And: A fool with a tool can foul-up a system much faster than a fool without a tool. In this regard, IEC 61850 is also just a tool.

Click HERE for the complete report from today.

Open Source Synchrophasor Framework for IEC 61850-90-5 under development

On October 02, 2011, I announced that the IEC TR 61850-90-5: “Use of IEC 61850 to transmit synchrophasor information according to IEEE C37.118” is on its way for official publication; expected by end of 2011.

To accelerate the application of the technology defined by IEC 61850-90-5, Cisco, Inc. (CSCO) and Systems Integration Specialists Company, Inc. (SISCO) have begun an open source project intended to provide an implementation framework for synchronized phasor measurement communications.

They expect that an “open source project will foster innovation and faster adoption of the standards using IP-multicast and a scalable security architecture´. … For the open source project, Cisco will provide source code for the Group Domain of Interpretation (GDOI) protocol. This protocol provides the type of advanced cyber key management services that are needed to secure communications for power system automation applications, including substation automation and protection, as well as for Smart Grid applications such as metering and demand response. SISCO will provide the source code for the IEC 61850-90-5 communication profile and the integration of that profile with the GDOI code. …”

Click HERE for the press complete release published by Cisco.

It is very likely that this project will push the application of IEC 61850 in North America and all over.