IEEE Power and Energy Magazine · 2008 · 294 citations · 0 references
EngineeringElectrical EngineeringSystems EngineeringInstrumentationMetrologyPower ElectronicsElectrical MeasurementMeasurement SystemsPower System ReliabilityPower SystemsState EstimationSystem MonitoringElectrical Measurement SystemsPhasor Measurement UnitsPower MeasurementPower System OperationWide-area MonitoringWide-area Monitoring Systems
Phasor measurement technology has become essential for estimating power‑system state, improving performance and resilience, leading many countries to install PMUs and develop hierarchical wide‑area measurement systems that aggregate substation data for monitoring, protection, and control. This article compiles detailed accounts of WAMS‑related activities from experts across several countries. The contributions describe the most advanced stages of WAMS development in major world economies.
The interest in phasor measurement technology has reached a peak in recent years, as the need for the best estimate of the power system's state is recognized to be a crucial element in improving its performance and its resilience in the face of catastrophic failures. In most countries installing the phasor measurement units (PMUs) and getting to know the PMU system behavior through continuous observations of system events has been the first step. All installations are reaching for a hierarchical wide-area measurement system (WAMS ) so that the measurements obtained from various substations on the system can be collected at central locations from which various monitoring, protection, and control applications can be developed. In this article, experts from several countries summarize their WAMS -related activities in some detail. The contributions here provide an account of the most advanced stages in WAMS development in major world economies.