Author name: Engr. Aneel Kumar

The costs of electric power outages to U.S. electric customers are generally called “socioeconomic” costs. Attempts have been made to quantify these costs but the estimates vary widely. One source reports that the costs are $26 billion each year and that they have been increasing as the electric power industry is restructured. A 2001 report […]

Interruptions in the supply of electricity to customers can occur at any hour of the day or night and can last from fractions of a second to many hours or even days. Interruptions can be caused by disturbances to or malfunctions of any of the three components of the power system: generation, transmission, or distribution.

SMART GRID Smart Grid is one of a number of names used to describe a transmission and distribution network that uses modern sensing, computational, and communication technologies to improve the reliable and economic functioning of the bulk power system. Other names include Modern Grid, Intelli grid, and Future Grid. A subset of this notion is

There are a large range of possible approaches and concepts for storing energy in electric utility systems. These are discussed in the following subsections. 1) MECHANICAL SYSTEMS HYDRO PUMPED STORAGE: In hydro pumped storage, water is pumped from a lower to a higher elevation. The water at the higher elevation can be stored and used to

Energy storage applications offer potential benefits to the transmission and distribution system because of the ability of modern power electronics, and some electro-chemistries, to change from full discharge to full charge, or vice versa, extremely rapidly. These characteristics enable energy storage to be considered as a means of improving transmission grid reliability or increasing effective

An alternate means of transmitting electricity is to use high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. As the name implies, HVDC uses direct current to transmit power. Direct current facilities are connected to HVAC systems by means of rectifiers, which convert alternating current to direct current, and inverters, which convert direct current to alternating current. Early applications

There are a number of designs used for substations. However, there are elements common to all: >> A BUS: is the physical structure to which all lines and transformers are connected. Buses are of two generic types: open air and enclosed. Enclosed buses are used when substations are located in buildings or outdoors where space

Substations are locations where transmission lines, transformers, and generators are connected. They fulfill a number of functions: Allow power from different generating stations to be fed into the main transmission corridors. Provide a terminus for interconnections with other systems. Provide a location where transformers can be connected to feed power into the sub transmission or

The primary components of an overhead transmission line are: Conductors Ground or shield wires Insulators Support structures Land or right-of-way (R-O-W) 1) CONDUCTORS: are the wires through which the electricity passes. Transmission wires are usually of the aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) type, made of stranded aluminum woven around a core of stranded steel that

Disturbances may also change the voltage at the generator’s terminals. In response, the generator’s automatic voltage regulating system will sense the change and adjust the generator’s field excitation, either up or down, to compensate. Transient stability or instability considers that period immediately after a disturbance, usually before the generator’s governor and other control systems have