GridEye
GridEye (a.k.a. FNET/GridEye, FNET) is a wide-area power system frequency measurement system. Using a type of phasor measurement unit (PMU) known as a Frequency Disturbance Recorder (FDR), FNET/GridEye is able to measure the power system frequency, voltage, and angle very accurately. These measurements can then be used to study various power system phenomena, and may play an important role in the development of future smart grid technologies. The system is currently operated by the Power Information Technology Laboratory at the University of Tennessee (UTK) in Knoxville, TN and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, TN.
History
A Phasor measurement unit is an important tool that is used to monitor and study electric power systems. The first PMUs were developed at Virginia Tech in the late 1980s. These devices measure the voltage, frequency and phase angle at buses within the power system. By utilizing the Global Positioning System, a PMU can provide a timestamp for each measurement. This allows measurements taken from different PMUs to be accurately compared. [1]
A PMU is typically installed at an electrical substation. This process can be quite expensive and time-consuming, costing tens of thousands of dollars per device and requiring several months of effort.[2] The high cost of installing PMUs has limited their use in the electric power industry.
In 2000, researchers led by Virginia Tech faculty member Yilu Liu began the development of a low-cost phasor measurement network that could be installed at the low-voltage distribution level of the power grid.[3] Researchers at Virginia Tech received a NSF MRI grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the system, which became known as FNET. [4] The first Frequency Disturbance Recorder was developed in 2003 with support from TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) and ABB. The FNET the system went online in 2004. [3]
Since 2010, in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE), FNET/GridEye has been developed into a wide-area grid monitoring network that covers the three major North American power grids and 16 of the largest grid around the world.
References
- ^ Phadke, A.G.; Thorp, J.S., "HISTORY AND APPLICATIONS OF PHASOR MEASUREMENTS," Power Systems Conference and Exposition, 2006. PSCE '06. 2006 IEEE PES , vol., no., pp.331-335, Oct. 29 2006-Nov. 1 2006.
- ^ NASPI Responses Summary to Questionnaire on PMU Installation and Maintenance
- ^ a b Zhian Zhong; Chunchun Xu; Billian, B.J.; Li Zhang; Tsai, S.-J.S.; Conners, R.W.; Centeno, V.A.; Phadke, A.G.; Yilu Liu; , "Power system frequency monitoring network (FNET) implementation," Power Systems, IEEE Transactions on, vol.20, no.4, pp. 1914- 1921, Nov. 2005.
- ^ NSF Award Information
- For more details on this topic, see FNET.