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Provides instructions and guidelines to prospective authors who wish to submit manuscripts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a boundary analysis method for reliability and economic assessment in distribution systems. The main purpose is to deal with uncertainties of input data, especially when statistical information is unavailable or insufficient. The presented method uses interval numbers to enclose variability and incertitude in reliability and economic parameters, and provides the estimates on upper and lower bounds of reliability and economic indices. The proposed method has been applied to real-life distribution reinforcement projects. Case studies demonstrated effectiveness and efficiency of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the problem of predicting hourly load demand using adaptive artificial neural networks (ANNs). A particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed to adjust the network's weights in the training phase of the ANNs. The advantage of using a PSO algorithm over other conventional training algorithms such as the back-propagation (BP) is that potential solutions will be flown through the problem hyperspace with accelerated movement towards the best solution. Thus the training phase should result in obtaining the weights configuration associated with the minimum output error. Data are wavelet transformed during the preprocessing stage and then inserted into the neural network to extract redundant information from the load curve. This results in better load characterization which creates a more reliable forecasting model. The transformed data of historical load and weather information were trained and tested over various periods of time. The generalized error estimation is done by using the reverse part of the data as a "test" set. The results were compared with traditional BP algorithm and offered a high forecasting precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many applications in modern distribution management systems (DMS) need the support of robust and reliable radial power flow analysis. In this connection, although radial power flow solution algorithms are widely proposed in the literature, their application is often complicated by the presence of uncertainties affecting the distribution network operation. The effect of these uncertainties could affect the power flow solution to a considerable extent. A comprehensive tolerance analysis is therefore required in order to incorporate the effect of data uncertainties into power flow analysis. To address this problem, in this paper the employment of interval constraint propagation (ICP) is proposed. ICP is an effective technique for refining enclosures to solutions of nonlinear systems of equations by merging interval mathematic and constraint propagation techniques. Several numerical results are presented and discussed in order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed methodology as an alternative to sampling-based technique, in radial power flow analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the application of the continuous Newton's method to the power flow problem. This method basically consists in formulating the power flow problem as a set of autonomous ordinary differential equations. Based on this formal analogy, we propose an entire family of numerically efficient algorithms for solving ill-conditioned or badly-initialized power flow cases. The paper also shows that the classical Newton-Raphson's method and most robust power flow techniques proposed in the literature are particular cases of the proposed formulation. An example based on a 1254-bus model of the UCTE system is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the use of state diagrams in maintenance modeling. These diagrams frequently illustrate deterioration, inspections and maintenance. Mathematically, the state diagram can be represented by a Markov process. The paper discusses the properties of such a Markov process. They are compared with the maintenance situation in the real world. It is shown that some properties make the model inconsistent with reality especially in cases where a maintenance policy with non-periodic inspections is modeled. A numerical example is provided that shows that these model properties result in modeling errors. The presented results make it clear that the common practice of using Markov processes based on state diagrams must be judged critically when they are used for modeling certain maintenance strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address the problem of finding optimal medium-term generation policies for a specific generation company by modeling the supply side of a liberalized electricity market. The model assumes a noncooperative oligopoly and determines the joint optimal generation policies of all market generators, taking into account hydro, market, and system uncertainties. We propose an endogenous function of market price with respect to load duration where the choice of fuel and technology influences both the average and range of variation of the medium-term market price. We assume an inelastic demand represented by the load-duration curve, which is matched using the Bloom and Gallant formulation. This accounts for unit outages without using scenarios, which are reserved for modeling other uncertainties such as a latent price variable and the hydro inflows. The equilibrium is solved using the Nikaido-Isoda relaxation algorithm, which enables a series of multistage cubic stochastic programming models to be solved. In order to deal with the large number of load matching constraints, we use a heuristic which allows us to generate only those constraints that will presumably be active at the optimal solution. The model is calibrated to the Spanish electricity market using historical price and generation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional online security assessment determines whether the system is secure or not, but how secure or insecure is not explicitly indicated. This paper develops probabilistic indices, risk, to assess real-time power system security level. Risk captures not only event likelihood, but also consequence. System security level associated with low voltage and overload can be optimally controlled, using the NSGA multiobjective optimization method. A security diagram is used to visualize operating conditions in a way that enables both risk-based and traditional deterministic views. An index for cascading overloads is used to evaluate the Pareto optimal solutions. This paper shows that the multiobjective approach results in less risky and less costly operating conditions, and it provides a practical algorithm for implementation. The IEEE 24-bus RTS-1996 system is analyzed to show that risk-based system security control results in lower risk, lower cost, and less exposure to cascading outages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a methodology to identify potential conflicts among power flow control devices that may slow down or impair convergence. The proposed methodology is based on the eigenvalue analysis of the sparse Jacobian matrix associated with the Newton power flow with controls. Practically identical results are obtained from a smaller control sensitivity matrix. The implementation in a power flow program has been tested using both small- and large-scale systems. The results presented validate and clearly indicate the effectiveness of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper generalizes Benders decomposition to maximize a nonconcave objective function and uses that decomposition to solve an "electric power grid interdiction problem." Under one empirically verified assumption, the solution to this bilevel optimization problem identifies a set of components, limited by cardinality or "interdiction resource," whose destruction maximizes economic losses to customers (and can thereby guide defensive measures). The decomposition subproblem typically incorporates a set of dc optimal power-flow models that cover various states of repair after an attack, along with a load-duration curve. Test problems describe a regional power grid in the United States with approximately 5000 buses, 6000 lines, and 500 generators. Solution time on a 2-GHz personal computer is approximately one hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short-term unit commitment (UC) problem in hydrothermal power generation is a large-scale, mixed-integer nonlinear program, which is difficult to solve efficiently, especially for large-scale instances. It is possible to approximate the nonlinear objective function of the problem by means of piece-wise-linear functions, so that UC can be approximated by an mixed-integer linear program (MILP); applying the available efficient general-purpose MILP solvers to the resulting formulations, good quality solutions can be obtained in a relatively short amount of time. We build on this approach, presenting a novel way to approximating the nonlinear objective function based on a recently developed class of valid inequalities for the problem, called "perspective cuts." At least for many realistic instances of a general basic formulation of UC, an MILP-based heuristic obtains comparable or slightly better solutions in less time when employing the new approach rather than the standard piecewise linearizations, while being not more difficult to implement and use. Furthermore, "dynamic" formulations, whereby the approximation is iteratively improved, provide even better results if the approximation is appropriately controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinning reserve (SR) allows system operators to compensate for unpredictable imbalances between load and generation caused by sudden outages of generating units, errors in load forecasting or unexpected deviations by generating units from their production schedules. As the proportion of power produced by wind farms increases, it becomes more difficult to predict accurately the total amount of power injected by all generators into the power system. This added uncertainty must be taken into account when setting the requirement for SR. This paper proposes a technique to calculate the optimal amount of SR that the system operator should provide to be able to respond not only to generation outages but also to errors in the forecasts for load and wind power production. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, the proposed technique for setting the SR requirements is then compared with the traditional deterministic criterion (i.e., the capacity of the largest online infeed), an approach to cope with wind imbalances and an approach that combines the traditional criterion with the approach to cope with wind imbalances. The results show that, contrary to what is commonly believed, an increased wind power penetration does not necessarily require larger amounts of SR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard computations reveal that locational marginal prices (LMPs), being Lagrange multipliers in an optimization problem, must lie in the null space of a Jacobian matrix evaluated at the optimal power flow solution, augmented by columns associated with active line flow limits. The impact of network power flow and active line limit constraints is to confine the LMPs in a subspace that satisfies necessary conditions for optimality. Optimal market clearing can then proceed as a minimization over offer curves confined to admissible LMPs in this subspace. When no line limits are active and losses neglected (e.g., in a dc power flow representation), the matrix in question has a generalized Laplacian structure, and admits only a vector of all equal elements in its null space (verifying the well-known equal incremental cost condition). As line flow limits become active, the null space grows in dimension. Among the phenomena of interest as the dimension of admissible LMPs grows is that of "load pockets"; that is, admissible LMP vectors that can show patterns in which buses partition into zones of approximately equal LMPs, with significant differences between zones. This paper explores an approach to admissible LMP calculation that isolates the topological role of active line flow constraints, independent of offer curve prices. Identification of this admissible subspace can then greatly facilitate computations such as clustering to identify potential zones of differentiated LMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a concept overview of an automatic operator of electrical networks (AOEN) for real-time alleviation of component overloads and increase of system static load-ability, based on state-estimator data only. The control used for this purpose is real-power generation rescheduling, although any other control input could fit the new framework. The key performance metrics are the vulnerability index of a generation unit (VIGS) and its sensitivity (SVIGS), accurately computed using a realistic ac power flow incorporating the AGC model (AGC-PF). Transmission overloads, vulnerability indices and their sensitivities with respect to generation control are translated into fuzzy-set notations to formulate, transparently, the relationships between incremental line flows and the active power output of each controllable generator. A fuzzy-rule-based system is formed to select the best controllers, their movement and step-size, so as to minimize the overall vulnerability of the generating system while eliminating overflows. The controller performance is illustrated on the IEEE 39-bus (New England) network and the three-area IEEE-RTS96 network subjected to severe line outage contingencies. A key result is that min- imizing the proposed vulnerability metric in real-time results in increased substantial loadability (prevention) in addition to overload elimination (correction). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As power systems becoming more closely interconnected and are being deregulated in energy markets, distributed simulations among different dispatch centers are highly required for online full system analysis and control applications. In this paper a new algorithm for distributed transient stability simulation of interconnected power systems is presented. Based on a Jacobian-free Newton-GMRES(m) method, this algorithm requires only exchanges of states of boundary buses among different regions. Therefore, it has strong scalability in distributed computing environments built on heterogeneous computing resources. Moreover, several accelerating methods are developed to enhance its efficiency, including continuous preconditioning with adaptive preconditioners, predicting boundary conditions and multistep coordination. The standard IEEE 39-bus system and a real power system with 1165 buses were used as test systems. The test results show that these accelerating methods greatly enhance the convergence rate of the proposed algorithm and reduce communication costs remarkably, which proves the novel algorithm is feasible and can be adopted in wide area networks with high-latency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic transient program (EMTP) simulators are being widely used in power system dynamics studies. However, their capability in real-time simulation of power systems is compromised due to the small time step used and relatively slow simulation speed. The shifted frequency analysis (SFA) is then proposed to accelerate the EMTP simulations for power system dynamics. The objective of this paper is to extend the SFA method [7] to model the induction machines in EMTP. By analyzing the relationship between rotor and stator physical variables, a phase-coordinate model with lower number of equations is first derived. Based on this, an SFA model is proposed as a general purpose model capable of simulating both fast transients and slow dynamics. Case study results have confirmed the SFA induction machine model is a valuable component for real-time EMTP simulations. It is observed that the SFA model is in excess of 70 times faster than the standard EMTP model when simulating dynamics with frequency spectra close to the fundamental power frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The computation of the unstable equilibrium point (UEP) is a key step involved in the direct methods of power system transient stability analysis. A new continuation-based method to compute the UEPs is proposed. The mechanical powers of the generators are changed to form a parameterized equation. Then the solution curve of the equation is traced by the continuation method from the stable equilibrium point to a UEP. The direction of power increase is determined to get a UEP relevant to the fault. The obtained UEPs are mostly type-1 and the method is applicable to detailed generator models. The method is tested in several systems and satisfactory results are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new method to enhance the participation of variable-speed wind energy conversion systems (WECS) in existing frequency regulation mechanisms. The proposed approach, based on a modified inertial control scheme, takes advantage of the fast response capability associated with electronically-controlled WECS, allowing the kinetic energy stored by rotational masses to be partly and transiently released in order to provide earlier frequency support. An additional improvement is achieved by communicating the WECS response to conventional generators so that these can eventually take care of the full load imbalance. Several simulations using a two-area test system are performed to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of system frequency variations on the steady-state operation point of fixed speed induction generators used in wind turbine generation systems (WTGS). An analytic method to predict the values of angular speed, torque and current during and after a frequency disturbance is presented. The proposed method as well permits to establish the operation limits in order to keep the WTGS connected during frequency variations and therefore to adjust protection relay settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jinsha River has very abundant hydro power reservation, ranking first in all the hydro power bases of China. To deliver the 38-GW hydro power from Jinsha power stations by HVDC transmission lines to load centers 1000-2000 km away, it is necessary to determine the right voltage level and the capacity of each bipole. This paper proposes three preliminary power delivery scheme and presents an optimization method for transmission capacity, dc voltage and conductor size. Based on a comprehensive comparison of cost-effectiveness, technical feasibility and network security and stability, it was recommended that the 3 bipolar ±800-kV ultra HVDC (UHVDC) links with rated capacity of 6.4 GW for each link be adopted as transmission scheme of Phase I Hydro Power station on Jinsha River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a probabilistic small signal stability assessment (PSSSA) methodology based on the application of Monte Carlo approach for iterative evaluation, via modal analysis of small signal stability (SSS). Operation states represented by random values of generation and demand are analyzed. A probabilistic instability risk index based on cumulative probability distribution function of damping ratios of oscillatory modes is calculated, as well as a power system stabilizer (PSS) devices location index based on eigenvectors and participation factors, which are considered random variables. Moreover, the impact of long-distance power flows on oscillatory modes (OM) and how the damping of OM depends on the orientation and magnitude of power flows is investigated. Further, an additional index concerns qualitatively the determination of transfer capability as affected by small signal stability. PSSSA is tested on a reduced order model of New England-New York's interconnected system considering uncertainties around three different system conditions separately: highly loaded, fairly loaded, and lowly loaded. The results highlight the main advantages of PSSSA over deterministic SSS studies such as instability risk assessment, small signal stability enhancement through adequate PSS location, and the proposal of possible restrictions for transfer capability in order to avoid poorly damped oscillations in the face of the diversity in power system operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the design of power system stabilizers for small-signal stability using phasor measurements is considered. An approach based on optimal control with structural constraints is proposed to design a two-level control structure. Time delays are included in the design. The method is combined with order reduction to ensure faster convergence of the design algorithm and to facilitate the choice of the weighting matrices for damping inter-area modes. The control scheme is discussed and modal analysis and time-domain simulations of two Brazilian equivalent systems are performed to assess the control performance. The robustness to loss of communication links, topological changes, and variations of time delay is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC) in a weak network is very sensitive to load changes. A sudden change in active load will cause both a phase jump and a magnitude fluctuation in the bus voltage (voltage at the PCC), whereas reactive load changes mainly affect the voltage magnitude. With the addition of energy storage to a static synchronous compensator (StatCom), it is possible to compensate for the active power change as well as providing reactive power support. In this paper effective active power compensation schemes are proposed. Simulation and experimental results verify the compensation schemes by showing that a StatCom with energy storage can significantly reduce phase jumps and magnitude deviations of the bus voltage under load disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power oscillation damping (POD) controllers implemented in the two thyristor controlled series compensators of the Brazilian North-South (NS) interconnection, in the year 1999, were solely intended to damp the low-frequency NS oscillation mode. These controllers are still under operation and are derived from the modulus of the active power flow in the NS line that is phase-lagged at the frequency of the NS mode and may experience relatively large excursions generated by exogenous disturbances. This paper utilizes the same 1999 data to compare the performance of a proposed robust POD controller design with those of two conventional designs. A recent robust control synthesis algorithm used in this work is based on a nonsmooth optimization technique and has the capability to handle various controller structures, including reduced-order, and to deal with time-domain constraints on both controlled and measured outputs. Moreover, the nonsmooth design technique encompasses multiple operating conditions subject to various test signals, hence building a truly time-domain multi-scenarios approach. According to the results discussed hereafter, this is a key advantage in the industrial context of increasing demand for performance and robustness. The described results relate to a large-scale system model used in the feasibility studies for that interconnection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a method of developing wide-band multi-port system equivalents for use with real-time digital power system simulators. The proposed equivalent combines a frequency dependent network equivalent (FDNE) for the high frequency electromagnetic transients and a transient stability analysis (TSA) type simulation block for the electromechanical transients. The frequency dependent characteristic for FDNE is obtained by curve-fitting frequency domain admittance characteristics using the vector fitting method. The paper also introduces an approach for approximating the frequency dependent characteristic of large power networks from readily available typical power-flow data. The paper shows how the TSA algorithm can be adapted to a real-time platform. The validity of this method is confirmed with examples, including the study of a multi infeed HVDC system based network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2005 and 2006, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) performed three major tests of western system dynamics. These tests used a Wide-Area Measurement System (WAMS) based primarily on phasor measurement units (PMUs) to determine response to events including the insertion of the 1400-MW Chief Joseph braking resistor, probing signals, and ambient events. Test security was reinforced through real-time analysis of wide-area effects, and high-quality data provided dynamic profiles for interarea modes across the entire western interconnection. The tests established that low-level optimized pseudo-random ±20-MW probing with the Pacific DC Intertie (PDCI) roughly doubles the apparent noise that is natural to the power system, providing sharp dynamic information with negligible interference to system operations. Such probing is an effective alternative to use of the 1400-MW Chief Joseph dynamic brake, and it is under consideration as a standard means for assessing dynamic security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a systematic scheme for building compact and transparent fuzzy rule-based classifiers for rapid stability assessment; the classifiers are initialized by large accurate decision trees (DTs). The approach starts by selecting strategic monitoring buses where phasor measurement units (PMUs) are placed to capture wide-area response signals in real-time operation. These measurements are processed in the time and frequency domains for extracting selected decision features such as the peak spectral density of the angle, frequency and their dot product evaluated over the grid areas. These so-called wide-area severity indices (WASI) are reliable time-varying stability indicators that form the basis of an effective classification system. Large-size DTs are used to generate initial accurate classification boundaries for decision making as early as 1 s or 2 s after fault clearing. From the DT classification boundaries, fuzzy membership functions (MFs) are developed and the corresponding fuzzy rule base is formulated parsimoniously by eliminating redundant MFs and rules using a similarity measure. The resulting fuzzy-rule classifiers are successfully tested for systemwise and area-wise contingencies based on a large database of detailed simulations of the Hydro-Quebec grid and are further confirmed on actual measurements recorded with existing wide-area measurements (WAMS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and analyzes the Spanish AGC system. The differences with respect to a standard hierarchical structure are explained. A simple model useful for simulation is proposed. Using this model, the performance of the system and the influence of several parameters in system response is evaluated. The paper also suggests some changes in the configuration and parameter settings of the system to improve its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new control approach for a unified power flow controller (UPFC) for power system oscillation damping. This control is simple to implement, yet is valid over a wide range of operating conditions. It is also effective in the presence of multiple modes of oscillation. The proposed control is implemented in several test systems and is compared against a traditional PI control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order that the supply of electric power remain stable and sustainable, a certain level of power quality must be maintained while securing energy resources and resolving environmental issues. The distributed generation (DG) has become an essential and indispensable element of such distribution systems from both an environmental and an energy security perspective. However, the installation of DGs in distribution systems may cause variations of voltage on distribution feeder because the DG power outputs may change randomly and dramatically. Generally, the sending voltage at substation in distribution systems can be regulated by an under load tap changer (ULTC) designed to maintain customers' receiving voltages within a predetermined range. Voltage regulation performed by ULTC calls for two parameters: the equivalent impedance and the load center voltage. Therefore, in distribution networks with DG interconnections, these parameters should be designed with attention not only to load variations but also to DG outputs. This paper proposes a method for designing ULTC parameters with reference to variations in DG output. The proposed algorithm is tested with IEEE 13-node system and Korean model network. The results demonstrate the validity of the proposed design method for varying DG distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a competitive electricity market, price forecasts are important for market participants. However, electricity price is a complex signal due to its nonlinearity, nonstationarity, and time variant behavior. In spite of much research in this area, more accurate and robust price forecast methods are still required. In this paper, a combination of a feature selection technique and cascaded neuro-evolutionary algorithm (CNEA) is proposed for this purpose. The feature selection method is an improved version of the mutual information (MI) technique. The CNEA is composed of cascaded forecasters where each forecaster consists of a neural network (NN) and an evolutionary algorithm (EA). An iterative search procedure is also incorporated in our solution strategy to fine-tune the adjustable parameters of both the MI technique and CNEA. The price forecast accuracy of the proposed method is evaluated by means of real data from the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) and Spanish electricity markets. The method is also compared with some of the most recent price forecast techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, dead band control algorithms using a performance index of the load tap changing (LTC) tap position are proposed to reduce the tap changing operation times. The performance index is defined as the customer voltage quality with the tap position of LTC transformer. In addition, dead band control algorithms using the load diversity values of the feeders are proposed. The mathematical formulations of the proposed dead band control algorithms are introduced. A sample case study is shown to verify the effectiveness of the proposed dead band control algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The task of controlling a power system is generally accomplished by several entities, each responsible for a distinct part of the system. For the enhancement of the system security, controllable devices such as FACTS devices are installed and operated by these entities. But in order to avoid conflicting behavior coordination is needed, leading to the concept of multiarea control. In this paper, it is assumed that the areas are determined independently from each other according to the influence of the control devices. As a consequence, overlapping areas may result necessitating an extension of the applied multiarea control method based on approximate Newton directions. In addition, it is taken into account that part of the grid might not be included in any of the areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel nonlinear approach to solve the short-term hydro scheduling problem under deregulation, considering head-dependency. The actual size of hydro systems, the continuous reservoir dynamics and constraints, the hydraulic coupling of cascaded hydro systems, and the complexity associated with head-sensitive hydroelectric power generation still pose a real challenge to the modelers. These concerns are all accounted for in our approach. Results from a case study based on one of the main Portuguese cascaded hydro systems are presented, showing that the proposed nonlinear approach is proficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nowadays deregulated market, total transfer capability (TTC) calculation, which is the basis for evaluating available transfer capability (ATC), has been becoming more significant. During the last decade, transient stability constraints have been included in the optimal power flow approach to maximize TTC. However, no previous work on investigating the effect of generation shedding action to TTC has been reported. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a TTC maximization by means of transient stability constrained optimal power flow considering the generation shedding action. Proper selection of the generator to shed is based on its Lagrange multiplier value of transient stability constraint. Our simulation results show how TTC can be increased to anticipate possible generation shedding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A generic operations framework for a distribution company (disco) operating in a competitive electricity market environment is presented in this paper. The operations framework is a two-stage hierarchical model in which the first deals with disco's activities in the day-ahead stage, the Day Ahead Operations Model (DAOM). The second deals with disco's activities in real-time and is termed Real-Time Operations Model (RTOM). The DAOM determines the disco's operational decisions on grid purchase, scheduling of distributed generation (DG) units owned by it, and contracting for interruptible load. These decisions are imposed as boundary constraints in the RTOM and the disco seeks to minimize its short-term costs keeping in mind its day-ahead decisions. A case-study is presented considering the well-known 33-bus distribution system and three different scenarios are constructed to analyze the disco's actions and decision-making in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, Markov chains in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation are used to predict the power system security level. The new approach uses a Markov chain for each identified security range to track the development of security level through time. Based on the forecasted and recorded data, the proposed procedure offers a useful tool to the system operator to predict a future power system security level. The method has been tested on the Bosnian power system using the recorded data on security levels during a one-year period. The forecasted results show a striking coincidence with the real security levels. By means of a simple and computationally fast method, the system operator can estimate the probability of a power system blackout. The presented method could be incorporated in the wide-area monitoring system in control centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new approach for finding the sequence of events that may lead to catastrophic failure in a power system. The probable sequences (of events) leading to catastrophic failures are identified using risk indices which incorporate the severity as well as the probability of the contingencies. Probable collapse sequences are identified offline for different possible loading conditions using a modified fast decoupled load flow method which considers the voltage and frequency dependence of loads and generator regulation characteristics and stored in a knowledge base. Pattern recognition method and fuzzy estimation are used for online identification of collapse sequences for any operating condition from the stored database (knowledge base). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates how a probabilistic criterion could be explicitly integrated in the unit commitment (UC) formulation. Both spinning reserve and interruptible load are taken into account as the operating reserve facilities. Incorporating the interruption notice time of interruptible load involves some complexities in the evaluation procedure and problem formulation which is considered in this paper. The expected energy not supplied (EENS) is considered as a probabilistic criterion and a new method is proposed to calculate this index in the presence of interruptible load. The reliability-constrained unit commitment (RCUC) problem is formulated based on the mixed-integer programming (MIP) method that can be solved using large-scale commercial solvers. The effectiveness of the proposed formulation is examined using the IEEE-RTS. Numerical results are presented and the implementation issues are discussed. A number of analyses are examined to evaluate the impact of some important factors on the problem solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of using dispersed generation (DG) in the distribution system restoration service in the context of smart networks is presented in this paper. The objectives are to reduce the consequences due to a major blackout in terms of the out-of-service load volume, and the duration of restoration process. Based on knapsack problem formulation and network represented graph modeling, a new restoration procedure for distribution network is proposed. An adapted branch-and-bound algorithm is then used to solve the problem. It maximizes the restored loads in distribution by using the DG availability. Simulation results on a study case will be shown to illustrate the proposed procedure and quantify the benefit of using DG in critical situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a primary frequency control strategy based on fuzzy logic, designed for variable-speed wind generators, is proposed and tested on a 2.2-kW test bench. The fuzzy logic supervisor ensures a regular primary reserve for a large range of wind speeds without any wind speed measurement. This supervisor controls simultaneously the generator torque and the pitch angle to keep the primary reserve; it determines in real time the generator power reference value. The fuzzy logic supervisor is compared to a simpler strategy, based only on the control of the generator torque. This classical strategy ensures a regular power reserve only when the wind generator operates at full load, and the generator power reference needs to be determined previously or by the network manager. A procedure for implementing a fuzzy logic supervisor in real time is proposed. The experiments indicate the regularity of the power reserve and the ability to contribute to frequency control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind-diesel systems represent a proactive step towards sustainable remote communities. However, for high ratios of wind energy, the necessity of a dump load and the diesel operating constraints need to be considered. Energy storage systems offer a means of optimizing energy use and further reducing consumption of diesel fuel. This paper proposes a methodology for storage sizing based on stochastic optimization. The problem is formulated and solved using representative data. The dependence of storage sizing and the cost of delivered energy on wind penetration levels, storage efficiency, and diesel operating strategies are considered. Results demonstrate that for high wind penetration, the availability of storage, together with an appropriate diesel operating approach, can result in significant cost savings in terms of fuel and operating costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multiobjective performance index-based size and location determination of distributed generation in distribution systems with different load models. Normally, a constant power (real and reactive) load model is assumed in most of the studies made in the literature. It is shown that load models can significantly affect the optimal location and sizing of distributed generation (DG) resources in distribution systems. The simulation technique based on genetic algorithms is studied. The studies have been carried out on 16-bus and 37-bus distribution systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A particle swarm optimization method with nonlinear time-varying evolution (PSO-NTVE) is employed in the planning of large-scale passive harmonic filters for a multibus system under abundant harmonic current sources. The objective is to minimize the cost of the filter, the filters loss, the total harmonic distortion of currents and voltages at each bus simultaneously. In the PSO-NTVE method, parameters are determined by using matrix experiments with an orthogonal array, in which a minimal number of experiments would have an effect that approximates the full factorial experiments. To compare the performance of the proposed PSO-NTVE method with existing ones, five well-known benchmarks are used and the results reveal its superiority over the others. This PSO-NTVE method is then applied to design optimal harmonic filters in a steel plant, where both ac and dc arc furnaces are used and a static var compensator (SVC) is installed. From the results of the illustrative examples, the feasibility of the PSO-NTVE to design an optimal passive harmonic filter of a multibus system is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In power distribution networks the load varies within any given time frame. It may, therefore, seem that a good approach to reduce losses would be the solving of a network reconfiguration problem to suit each of the significant load variations. However, frequent changes in configuration can trigger outages or cause transient problems; they are best avoided. A recent formulation of this problem explicitly considers load variations and proposes to restrain frequent reconfigurations by assuming that network topologies will remain unchanged for a given planning period. This formulation leads to a much larger optimization problem than that traditionally used for network reconfiguration; moreover, it requires a new approach to optimization which is capable of dealing with energy flows instead of only instantaneous power flows. Such an approach is proposed in this paper, which discusses the design of an adaptive hybrid genetic algorithm that fulfills these new requirements. Key concepts in evolutionary computation and analysis of distribution systems are explored to develop this new algorithm. Application to real case studies certifies its benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes use of a multiobjective optimization method, elitist nondominated sorting genetic algorithm version II (NSGA-II), to the generation expansion planning (GEP) problem. The proposed model provides for decision maker choice from among the different trade-off solutions. Two different problem formulations are considered. In one formulation, the first objective is to minimize cost; the second objective is to minimize sum of normalized constraint violations. In the other formulation, the first objective is to minimize investment cost; the second objective is to minimize outage cost (or maximize reliability). Virtual mapping procedure is introduced to improve the performance of NSGA-II. The GEP problem considered is a test system for a six-year planning horizon having five types of candidate units. The results are compared and validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the planning method for capacitor installation in a distribution system to reduce the installation costs and minimize the loss of electrical energy. The expected life-time of devices with moving parts depends on the total number of operations, which affects the replacement period and replacement decisions for aging equipment under a limited budget. In this paper, the expected device lifetimes are included in the formulation, and the optimal operation status of the devices is determined using a genetic algorithm. The optimal numbers and locations for capacitor installation are determined based on the optimal operation status. Simulation results in a 69-bus distribution system show that the proposed technique performs better than conventional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to present a new fuzzy logic method for midterm energy forecasting. The proposed method properly transforms the input variables to differences or relative differences, in order to predict energy values not included in the training set and to use a minimal number of patterns. The input variables, the number of the triangular membership functions and their base widths are simultaneously selected by an optimization process. The standard deviation is calculated analytically by mathematical expressions based on the membership functions. Results from an extensive application of the method to the Greek power system and for different categories of customers are compared to those obtained from the application of standard regression methods and artificial neural networks (ANN). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deregulation of the electric power industry has introduced new uncertainties for market participants and made planning of transmission expansion more difficult. More flexible transmission expansion plans are needed, to cope with the increased risks. In this paper, a novel planning approach is proposed to meet the above challenge. In our approach, the planning process is modeled as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem, so that conflicting objectives can be optimized simultaneously. To minimize planning risks, our method identifies several scenarios based on statistics and expert knowledge; the most flexible expansion plan is selected as the plan that has least adaptation cost. The proposed method is tested with the IEEE 14-bus system. Promising results are obtained to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter presents a control method for grid-connected PWM voltage source inverters (VSIs) featuring fast load voltage regulation and effective mitigation of fast voltage disturbances. The control scheme is based on a hybrid linear with variable-structure control (VSC) voltage controller and a deadbeat current regulator. The proposed scheme is applied to a VSI-based distributed generation (DG) interface to regulate the voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that portfolio optimization theory can be extended to generation self-scheduling in a competitive energy market. This letter considers the self-scheduling problem in the case where the mean vector and covariance matrix of the probability distribution of prices are only known within given bounds, and the probability distribution is otherwise arbitrary. Under the above assumptions, it is shown that a method for optimization over symmetric cones can be used to 1) compute the worst-case robust profit with probability level β and 2) optimize the self-schedule for a given probability level β of the corresponding worst-case robust profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter describes an approach using Benders decomposition to decompose security-constrained optimal power flow (DSCOPF). It provides a complexity analysis to give insight into the improved computing speeds obtained using the approach. The method is illustrated on two six-bus test systems and on the IEEE reliability test system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key need facing the electric power industry is the ongoing requirement to develop its future workforce. While university education is a crucial step in this process, studies have shown that many promising students are unaware of possible careers in the power industry. Many also lose interest in math and science during their high school and even middle school years. This paper presents lesson plans and associated applets designed to help address these needs,. developed as a collaboration between electric power researchers and education specialists. Thus far, two units have been developed to engage pre-university students in the power area. The first unit, Power and Energy in the Home, serves as an introduction to the concepts of power and energy and provides many sample loads to illustrate the impacts of running different appliances. Special attention is paid to environmental issues by the inclusion of Energy Star appliances along with incandescent and compact fluorescent lighting. The second unit, titled The Power Grid, aims to inform students about the macroscopic picture of how energy gets from generators to loads. Many different generation technologies are included, along with external system connections to demonstrate how power is imported and exported. Discussion of line overloading, and how networks can be both beneficial and detrimental depending on circumstances, are facilitated by features built into the applet and provided in the lesson plans. The materials have been distributed to students and educators, many of whom have provided valuable feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric power transmission lines face increased threats from malicious attacks and natural disasters. This underscores the need to develop new techniques to ensure safe and reliable transmission of electric power. This paper deals with the development of an online monitoring technique based on mechanical state estimation to determine the sag levels of overhead transmission lines in real time and hence determine if these lines are in normal physical condition or have been damaged or downed. A computational algorithm based on least squares state estimation is applied to the physical transmission line equations to determine the conductor sag levels from measurements of tension, temperature, and other transmission line conductor parameters. The estimated conductor sag levels are used to generate warning signals of vertical clearance violations in the energy management system. These warning signals are displayed to the operator to make appropriate decisions to maintain the line within the prescribed clearance limits and prevent potential cascading failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a novel power system laboratory at Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya (B.V.M.) Engineering College, Gujarat, India, where every experiment was designed, wired and commissioned through senior design projects. The experiments on power system protection are especially unique in terms of their design and implementation and will be highlighted in this paper. They provide a real substation-like operating environment. Through these projects, the students, in addition to getting familiar with the fundamentals of protection, learned how different protection schemes are wired and how they operate in a real power system. For the institute, a quality laboratory was established at a low cost, which is a crucial issue for most colleges in many parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and illustrates a Windows- based, general-purpose, symbolically assisted numeric computation environment within power engineering education applications The examples considered include fundamental problems derived from three areas: power system analysis and optimization, electric machinery, and feedback control systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for comparing the effect of different maintenance strategies on system reliability and cost. This method relates reliability theory with the experience gained from statistics and practical knowledge of component failures and maintenance measures. The approach has been applied to rural and urban distribution systems. In particular, a functional relationship between failure rate and maintenance measures has been developed for a cable component. The results show the value of using a systematic quantitative approach for investigating the effect of different maintenance strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel and distributed processing has been broadly applied to scientific and engineering computing, including various aspects of power system analysis. This paper first presents a distributed processing approach of reliability index assessment (RIA) for distribution systems. Then, this paper proposes a balanced task partition approach to achieve better efficiency. Next, the distributed processing of RIA is applied to reliability-based network reconfiguration (NR), which employs an algorithm combining local search and simulated annealing to optimize system reliability. Testing results are presented to demonstrate the speeded execution of RIA and NR with distributed processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report is based on a survey of power engineering education resources in the U.S. and Canada similar to 12 earlier such efforts. This survey is conducted to determine the electric power engineering education resources available in Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited engineering programs in the U.S. and Canada for the 2001-02 academic year. The report is limited to colleges and universities that replied to a questionnaire on a voluntary basis. For the 115 colleges and universities (107 U.S., S Canadian) that submitted data on their power programs, the report contains a list of faculty active during the 2001-02 academic year with academic participation and professional experience, each school's research area and funding levels, Ph.D. and MS student enrollment by type of support and by domestic versus international, and each school's power course offerings with enrollments and other data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contingency analysis (CA) is critical in many routine power system and market analyzes to show potential problems with the system. Due to the tremendous and yet increasing amount of data computed by CA, effective visualizations are needed to present the CA results to assist the system operators and engineers to comprehend the static security status of the system in a quick and intuitive manner. The desirable functionalities of such visualizations include showing the overall system security status, showing the severity levels of the contingencies in terms of their associated limit violations, and showing the geographic connection between the violated elements and the contingent elements. The traditional EMS display of CA results is a tabe War list of elements with limit violations. This paper explores interactive three-dimensional visualizations for contingency data. We visualize vulnerability levels of power system elements and severity information of outages separately. The overall situation of the whole system is conveyed "at a glance" by the overview visualizations, while more detailed information is displayed as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting market clearing prices is an important but difficult task, and neural networks have been widely used. A single neural network, however, may misrepresent part of the input-output data mapping that could have been correctly represented by different networks. The use of a "committee machine" composed of multiple networks can in principle alleviate such a difficulty. A major challenge for using a committee machine is to properly combine predictions from multiple networks, since the performance of individual networks is input dependent due to mapping misrepresentation. This paper presents a new method in which weighting coefficients for combining network predictions are the probabilities that individual networks capture the true input-output relationship at that prediction instant. Testing of the New England market cleaning prices demonstrates that the new method performs better than individual networks, and better than committee machines using current ensemble-averaging methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents analytical and experimental results on model-based linear estimation of dynamic phasors and dynamic symmetrical components in energy processing systems. The procedure is based on the Kalman filter, and shares its features regarding the simultaneous effective suppression of measurement noise and a very good tracking ability. The procedure is illustrated experimentally with examples involving single and three-phase inductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centralized control using system-wide data has been suggested to enhance the dynamic performance of large interconnected power systems. Because of the distance involved in wide-area interconnections, communication delay cannot be ignored. Long time delay may be detrimental to system stability and may degrade system performance. The time delay tolerance of a centralized controller and the associated performance tradeoff is analyzed using a small gain criterion. Special attention is paid to the choice of weighting functions in a robust control design. As expected, it is found that time delay tolerance decreases when the system bandwidth increases, while the nominal system time-do- main performance is concomitantly improved. Several approaches which can maintain a good system performance while increasing the time delay tolerance are suggested and compared. A modern controller design technique, like gain scheduling via linear matrix inequalities, is evaluated for the design of the supervisory power system stabilizer accounting for various time delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the power system model is formulated as a finite dimensional linear system whose state-space entries depend continuously on a time varying parameter vector called the scheduling variables. This system is referred to as the linear parameter varying (LPV) system. Although the trajectory of the changing parameters such as load levels and tie line flows is not known in advance, in most situations, they can be measured in real time. The LPV technique is applied to the decentralized design of power system stabilizers (PSS) for large systems. In the approach developed, instead of considering the complete system model with all the interconnections, we develop a decentralized approach where each individual machine is considered separately with arbitrarily changing real and reactive power output in a defined range. These variables are chosen as the scheduling variables. The designed controller automatically adjusts its parameters depending on the scheduling variables to coordinate with change of operating conditions and the dynamics of the rest of the system. The resulting decentralized PSSs give good performance in a large operating range. Design procedures are presented and comparisons are made between the LPV decentralized PSSs and conventionally designed PSSs on the 50-generator IEEE test system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a low-frequency inter area oscillation mode in middle and western 60-Hz areas of Japan. The mode is damped, i.e., stable for small disturbances, but diverges in an oscillatory manner for large disturbances. It restricts power transmission in the areas. This paper shows that the instability is caused by nonlinear interactions between a few modes. The areas are represented with West30-machine system model prepared by the lEE of Japan. Numerical simulations are executed to obtain a critical case in which generator swings last without diverging or damping. Natural oscillation modes contained in the swings, are then calculated. Two modes have strong interactions with the interarea mode, and act so as to deteriorate its damping. Last, we examine how their influence changes with load level of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent technological advances in the area of wide- area measurement systems (WAMS) has enabled the use of a combination of measured signals from remote locations for centralized control purpose. The transmitted signals can be used for multiple swing mode damping using a single controller. However, there is an unavoidable delay involved before these signals are received at the controller site. To ensure satisfactory performance, this delay needs to be taken into account in the control design stage. This paper focuses on damping control design taking into account a delayed arrival of feedback signals. A predictor-based H∞, control design strategy is discussed for such time-delayed systems. The concept is utilized to design a WAMS-based damping controller for a prototype power system using a static var compensator. The controller performance is evaluated for a range Of operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter describes an approach of applying the model- driven development in power systems. A component-based model-driven architecture, that gives full flexibility of the automation in source code generation, Is introduced. A design pattern to code generation is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses a novel approach to model integration applied within electrical power engineering. Model integration for model-based diagnosis of power system protection and plant; Model integration environment for marine electrical power systems studies; Conclusions.

Propose the use of multiagent systems for protection engineering diagnostic assistance. Summary of the disturbance diagnosis process; Discussion on the benefits of a multiagent approach; Details of the design and implementation of protection engineering diagnostic agents.

Proposes a short-term load forecast by use of autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model including non-Gaussian processes. Features of the proposed ARMA model; Significance of determining Gaussianity in random processes to engineering applications; Factors that may affect load profiles.

Presents a study which discussed a perspective on offering courses offered at several universities via various distance educational framework in power engineering. Growth of power engineering; Content of the courses; Recommendation; Conclusions.

Presents summaries of the activities of six research active power engineering educators which were presented in a panel session in New York City, New York on February 3, 1999. Workshop on challenges facing power engineering education; Discussion on how research results are incorporated into courses.