Cost effective Synchro Phasor Data Acquisition System for WAMS applications

Abstract

— Power system across the world is growing to new pinnacles especially with the integration of renewable energy sources and electric vehicles. Intrusion of these components brought new complexities into the network due to bidirectional power flows and wide variation in supply & demand etc. Augmentation of these sustainable technologies not only enhance the performance but also poses challenges in terms security, safety, and stability under different operating conditions of the existing grid at the same time. Even the monitoring and control functions become more complex that has demanded for Synchrophasor measurements with GPS time stamp from wide area. Financial constraints delayed the deployment of phasor measurement units across the power system network, restricted to the installation at 400kV substations only. These restraints were addressed by developing a cost-effective device to monitor the synchro phasors across the network. Arduino Due, an open-source hardware augmented with GPS module and sensors was used for data acquisition, processing, and communication. This will enhance the scope of utilization of synchrophasors even at distribution level in the current developments in Smart Grid scenario.