NASPI DisTT Use Case: Synchrophasor Assisted Microgrid Automation

Release Date
ERICA Number
NASPI-2016-TR-013
Document Subject Area
DisTT Use Case
Description

Use Case

Conventional remote terminal unit (RTU) based automation approaches suffer from slow measurement update and lack of time-stamp values for precise comparison of state parameters at different locations. A time-synchronized control approach is more favorable for protection event analysis, islanding detection and grid re-synchronization practices.

Background

Microgrids are small scale decentralized electricity networks featuring more complex structure compared to large generation plants. A microgrid may consists of various types of generation units and local loads, including energy storage. Synchronous generators, induction generators and inverter based distributed energy resources (DER) are the main types of generation units in a microgrid. Load demand management is also often posited as a DER. As the penetration level of DER increases, concerns regarding the stability and interactions between units are becoming more important.

The conventional control and management of the distribution grid, where only voltage magnitudes are measured and utilized at the control center, could easily misdiagnose these new dynamics and potentially lead to severe complications in grid operations. This results in growing interest to utilize synchrophasor measurements in distribution system applications.