IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2015 - 4

from the editor

Mel Olken

key developments
synchrophasor technology

IN 1893, CHARLES PROTEUS STEINmetz presented an IEEE paper on a simplified mathematical description of the
waveforms of alternating current. Steinmetz called his representation a phasor.
So begins the historical journey that is
referred to today as synchrophasor technology and is the theme of this issue.
The key component in the connection was the development of phasor
measurement unit (PMU) technology
in the 1980s, led primarily by Arun
Phadke and Jim Thorp. (A confession
here-I was also at AEP during the initial phases of the development and have
known and respected Arun for the past
40+ years.) The technology itself involves the calculation of real-time phasor measurements synchronized to an absolute
time reference provided
by the Global Positioning System (GPS) to provide instantaneous, accurate information relative
to the condition of the
properly monitored electric system, thus allowing immediate corrective action to occur. As
an aside, the deployment
of this technology would
have prevented or greatly mitigated a number of
catastrophic recent events that affected
electrical systems worldwide.

In This Issue
Synchrophasor
technology is now
in place in numerous parts of
electric systems
throughout the world.
Its worth is proving
itself, and at the
IEEE Power &
photo licensed by
Energy Magingram publishing
azine Editorial
Board meeting in 2014, Sarma Nuthalapati of ERCOT proposed this theme for a
2015 issue. The board agreed that the
subject was most worthy of consideration and agreed to include it as a
theme issue. In addition, Arun, who is
a Board member and
was at the meeting,
agreed to work with
Sarma on the issue.
This issue contains
seven feature articles
that offer a view of the
application of synchrophasor technology in
various regions of the
United States as well
as in Europe, China,
and India. Also, we offer an article presenting the involvement of
the U.S. Department
of Energy in funding projects in the United States. These article are introduced in
the "Guest Editorial" authored by Sarma
Nuthalapati and Arun Phadke.

Synchrophasor
technology is
now in place
in numerous
parts of electric
systems
throughout the
world.

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2015.2439935
Date of publication: 18 August 2015

ieee power & energy magazine

GE's 40 Hz
Associate Editor Carl
Sulzberger returns from
his nonvoluntary vacation in our previous issue with a most
interesting column. The
piece, written by our old
friend and always welcome contributor Tom Blalock
and edited by Carl, details the development by General Electric of
40-Hz equipment during the period
when a frequency standard had not
yet been adopted. As we well know,
40 Hz did not make the final cut, but
the story is an interesting part of our industry's history. Thank you once again
Tom and Carl.

A Personal "In My View"
The "In My View" column is one of the
most unusual we have presented. "PMU
Memories" by Arun Phadke offers a very
personal story of the history of the PMU
technology by its prime developer. It
makes for very interesting reading, detailing Arun's efforts that spanned many
years of his outstanding career and in
several different environments. Having
been a colleague of Arun's during his
AEP career, the column brought back
many memories, and I am certain it will
also resonate with many readers as well.
I only take issue with Arun's comment
about his memory loss due to age-I see
no truth in that statement.
p&e

september/october 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2015