Dynamic Vulnerability Assessment and Intelligent Control

Chapter 1Introduction: The Role of Wide Area Monitoring Systems in Dynamic Vulnerability Assessment

Jaime C. Cepeda¹ and José Luis Rueda-Torres²

¹Head of Research and Development and University Professor, Technical Development Department and Electrical Energy Department, Operador Nacional de Electricidad CENACE, and Escuela Politécnica Nacional EPN, Quito Ecuador

²Assistant professor of Intelligent Electrical Power Systems, Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

1.1 Introduction

Currently, most social, political, and economic activities depend on the reliability of several energy infrastructures. This fact has established the necessity of improving the security and robustness of Electric Power Systems [1]. In addition, the lack of investment, the use of congested transmission lines, and other technical reasons, such as environmental constraints, have been pushing Bulk Power Systems dangerously close to their physical limits [2]. Under these conditions, certain sudden perturbations can cause cascading events that may lead to system blackouts [1, 3]. It is crucial to ensure that these perturbations do not affect security, so the development of protection systems that guarantee service continuity is required. In this regard, Special Protection Schemes (SPS) are designed in order to detect abnormal conditions and carry out corrective actions that mitigate possible consequences and allow an acceptable system performance [4]. ...