Students at IIT Bombay develop iPDC an Open Source tool for Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS)

The continuous increasing demand for power along with integration of distributed power sources such as micro-grid and renewable energy into the ever expanding electric grid has increased the complexities of managing the reliability of the power grid. Frequent blackouts and brown-outs continuously remind us the need for better electric grid that provide intelligent and automated system for online monitoring and proper control and protection of the Grid.The Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU), which is also know as Synchrophasor, is the key component of the Wide Area Monitoring and Control System (WAMCS). The Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS) is primarily used for managing the grid reliability by continuously monitoring the status of the grid through PMU deployed at specific location in the transmission network. PMUs through  GPS provide synchronized time based voltage and current Phasor measurement at sub-second rate, so that system operators and planners can continuously monitor grid status allowing them to manage power quality. Thus, WAMCS is considered to be an important element for transitioning current power grid into futuristic Smart Grid. 

Source: www.pacw.org

The data generated at sub-second level through multitude of PMUs require proper storage and management for which Phasor Data Concentrator widely known as PDCs are used. Though, there are various propriety systems, there isn't any open-source tool which can be used by the students, industry, and research community. One such system has been developed by IIT Bombay students Nitesh Pandit and Kedar Khandeparkar, which is known as iPDC.  The objective of iPDC project is to create an IEEE C37.118 Synchrophasor standardized Phasor Data Concentrator and PMU Simulator, on which research students and others can develop and test their algorithms and applications. The purpose of iPDC released as a Free Software to its availability for users without any restriction regarding its usage and modification. And in future get the contribution from users and developers all around the world.

Industrial Use:

iPDC is a Phasor Data Concentrator with basic functionalities. iPDC internally performing the time sequencing, wait time, generating of combined data frames for each UTC time and putting the measurements into database. It currently not having any visualization application for measurements, but it is possible to integrate the any existing visualization application to the iPDC database or direct receives combined data frames from iPDC over IP. It could also be used for testing for protocol, and working of any PMU.

Currently, there are not readily available ways to test the operation of PDCs. The problem is that it is nearly impossible to have enough PMUs to max out the PDC and you can't cause a real PMU to operate incorrectly to test the response of a PDC. Even most commercial manufacturers don't have programmable PMU Simulators, so iPDC's PMU Simulator allows anyone to test PDCs. Virginia Tech University M.S. Student and others have used the PMU Simulator and perform the testing for couple of commercial PDCs. PMU Simulator is successfully tested with PMU Connection Tester.

What is iPDC?

iPDC is a free Phasor Data Concentrator that collects data from Phasor Measurement Units, iPDC's and other PDC that are IEEEC37.118 standard compliant. It time aligns and combines the received data into frames as per IEEEC37.118 and sends to other iPDCs. It also has the feature to archive received data in the MySQL database on local disk or remote machine disk. A friendly graphical user interface will enable a user to add or remove new devices (PMU/iPDC) and also send different command frames to the devices from which the data is being received. Software is built to be working on Linux platform

Phasor Data Concentrators (PDUs) (Source: http://www.intechopen.com)

iPDC Features:

iPDC is compliant with IEEE C37.118 Synchrophasor standard.

iPDC capable of receiving the data from PMU and PDC/iPDC.

iPDC would generate combined data frame by performing time aligning, sorting for each timestamps.

iPDC able to send data frames to other iPDC's as well as other applications.

iPDC directs the received data frames to MySQL database server for storage.

The iPDC-database server may run on the local or remote machine.

iPDC has option to connect via TCP or UDP.

iPDC has a file structure, that stores all the connection and CFG details as being iPDC status.

iPDC Setup File can be reload at restarting of iPDC.

iPDC is a multi-threaded application, hence the performance is optimistic.

iPDC has user friendly Graphical Interface.

iPDC is built on free and open source technologies.

What is PMU Simulator?

PMU Simulator would act as a server and bind port for UDP or TCP communication protocol. It would be listening for UDP connections on UDPPORT or for TCP connections on TCPPORT. The PMU Simulator receives the command frames from PDC and sends the configuration frame and data frames to PDC. Both the communicating peers authenticate each other through ID Code.

PMU Simulator Features

PMU Simulator is compliant with IEEE C37.118 and successfully tested with the PMU Connection Tester.

PMU Simulator is configurable for both TCP and UDP communication protocols.

PMU Simulator has option to read the PMU measurements from the csv file and generate Data Frames.

PMU Simulator has options to introduce different errors in STAT Word at run time.

With single installation multiple PMU simulators can be run on a single machine simultaneously.

PMU Simulator could be configurable for both 50 & 60 Hz of frequency system.

It also has the configuration modification option like add/remove phasor channels at run time.

PMU Simulator is a multi-process and multi-threaded application, hence the performance is optimistic.

PMU Simulator has user friendly Graphical User Interface.

PMU Simulator is built on free and open source technologies.

Project websites:

http://ipdc.codeplex.com/

http://sourceforge.net/projects/iitbpdc/

Developers
Nitesh Pandit, Kedar Khandeparkar




Contributors: Nitesh Pandit, Kedar Khandeparkar

IEEE 802.11™ Expanded to Support Faster, Higher-quality, Simpler Wireless LAN Communication in More Environments

IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, today announced the publication of IEEE 802.11™-2012, which defines the technology for the world’s premier wireless local area network (LAN) products.

The new IEEE 802.11-2012 revision has been expanded significantly by supporting devices and networks that are faster, more secure, while offering improved Quality of Service and, improved cellular network hand-off. IEEE 802.11 standards, often referred to as “Wi-Fi^®,”already underpin wireless networking applications around the world, such as wireless access to the Internet from offices, homes, airports, hotels, restaurants, trains and aircraft around the world. The standard’s relevance continues to expand with the emergence of new applications, such as the smart grid, which augments the facility for electricity generation, distribution, delivery and consumption with a two-way, end-to-end network for communications and control.

“IEEE 802.11 is obviously a standard of tremendous impact for developers and users of Wi-Fi-enabled devices, service providers, the global smart-grid community, manufacturers, healthcare workers and retail service providers around the world,” said Phil Solis, research director with ABI Research. “In the 15years since the standard’s original publication, we’ve seen wireless networking evolve from a curiosity and nice-to-have capability to a must-have feature for doing business in a wide range of industries around the world. It’s a capability that today is expected to be embedded in almost any communications device, and it’s a service that’s expected to be available to employees and customers almost anywhere in the world.”

IEEE 802.11defines one MAC and several PHY specifications for wireless connectivity for fixed, portable and mobile stations. IEEE 802.11-2012 is the fourth revision of the standard to be released since its initial publication in 1997. In addition to incorporating various technical updates and enhancements, IEEE 802.11-2012 consolidates 10 amendments to the base standard that were approved since IEEE 802.11’s last full revision, in 2007. IEEE 802.11n™, for example, defined MAC and PHY modifications to enable much higher throughputs, with a maximum of 600Mb/s; other amendments that have been incorporated into IEEE 802.11-2012 addressed direct-link setup, “fast roam,”radio resource measurement, operation in the 3650-3700MHz band, vehicular environments, mesh networking, security, broadcast/multicast and unicast data delivery, interworking with external networks and network management.

“The new IEEE 802.11 release is the product of an evolutionary process that has played out over five years and drawn on the expertise and efforts of hundreds of participants worldwide. More than 300 voters from a sweeping cross-section of global industry contributed to the new standard, which has roughly doubled in size since its last published revision,” said Bruce Kraemer, chair of the IEEE 802.11 working group. “Every day, about two million products that contain IEEE 802.11-based technology for wireless communications are shipped around the world. Continuous enhancement of the standard has helped drive technical innovation and global market growth. And work on the next generation of IEEE 802.11 already has commenced with a variety of project goals including extensions that will increase the data rate by a factor of 10, improve audio/video delivery, increase range and decrease power consumption.”

(Press Release)

New IEEE Standard and Development Activities Designed To Aid Smart-Grid Communications And Distribution Automation

IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity,today announced the publication of a new standard, as well as the launch of three new standards-development activities, all designed to enhance the communications and distribution-automation capabilities of the smart grid globally.

 “Many of the benefits that the world hopes to achieve through smart-grid development—such as empowering greater consumer choice in energy use, improving the reliability of power generation and distribution and more efficiently meeting skyrocketing power demand—are dependent on integrating significantly more robust systems for communications and distribution automation,” said Dr. W. Charlton Adams Jr., past president of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA).“The new standards activities approved by the IEEE-SA Standards Board are designed to enhance those very capabilities—and, in doing so, accelerate realization of the smart grid’s revolutionary promise.”

IEEE-SA has published IEEE 1591.1™-2012 – Standard for Testing and Performance of Hardware for Optical Ground Wire (OPGW). OPGW is being used in the smart grid to provide both grounding capabilities for transmission lines and communications back to utility systems such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). IEEE 1591.1 provides manufacturing, testing and procurement specifications for use with OPGW hardware. The new standard is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.Smart-grid standards projects newly approved by IEEE-SA include the following:

standardized definitions of such systems.

IEEE P1909.1™–Recommended Practice for Smart Grid Communication Equipment -Test methods and installation requirements – is intended to document testing and installation procedures that are geared specifically for communications equipment to be installed in various domains of the smart grid, such as generation, transmission and distribution. Safety, electromagnetic capability (EMC), environmental and mechanical tests are to be covered in the recommended practice, toward the goal of improving the safety and reliability of a wide range of smart-grid communications equipment.

IEEE P1703™–Standard for Local Area Network/Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN) Node Communication Protocol to complement the Utility Industry End Device Data Tables – is intended to improve the cost efficiency and flexibility of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployments. The standard is being developed to define uniform, managed, adaptive and secure network data and message delivery for plug-and-play, multi-source utility meters, home appliances, communication technology and other ancillary devices.

IEEE P1854™– Guide for Smart Distribution Applications Guide – is being developed to categorize and describe important smart distribution applications and fill a gap for standardized definitions of such systems. The guide is intended to cover advanced automation and SCADA systems for reliability improvement, outage management, fault location and management, voltage and var management, distributed-resource and renewable-generation integration, demand response, advanced protection, equipment diagnostics and asset management, real-time simulation for system optimization, microgrids and many other applications.


The guide is intended to cover advanced automation and SCADA systems for reliability improvement, outage management, fault location and management, voltage and var management, distributed-resource and renewable-generation integration, demand response, advanced protection, equipment diagnostics and asset management, real-time simulation for system optimization, microgrids and many other applications.

With a portfolio of more than 100 active standards or standards in development relevant to the smart grid, the IEEE-SA is a global leader in smart-grid standards development, as well as smart-grid vision, awareness and education.


About the IEEE Standards Association The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together abroad stake holder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. For more information visit http://standards.ieee.org/.

(Press Release)

Five new standards and standards development project announced by IEEE

IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, today announced five new standards, as well as a modified standards-development project, that are all intended to aid the efficient rollout of the smart grid worldwide. The new standards and standards projects recently approved by the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Board carve critical new dimensions into the IEEE portfolio of more than 100 active standards or standards in development relevant to the smart grid.

"The new standards approved by the IEEE-SA Standards Board are the byproduct of intensifying smart-grid deployment around the world," said Judith Gorman, managing director, IEEE-SA. "New lessons have been learned, and best practices and insights on challenges are surfacing as smart-grid rollout continues to gain steam globally. The IEEE-SA has been a worldwide leader in smart-grid standards development even prior to the movement's inception, and these standards and projects underscore our ongoing commitment to accelerating realization of the smart grid's far-ranging and futuristic promise for power users, utilities and manufacturers alike."

Smart-grid standards newly published by IEEE-SA include the following:

-- IEEE C37.118.1(TM)-2011 -- Standard for Synchrophasor Measurements for Power Systems -- is intended to define synchronized phasors and frequency measurements in substations, along with methods and requirements for verifying such measurements in power system analysis and operations under both static and dynamic conditions. IEEE C37.118.1 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.

-- IEEE C37.118.2(TM)-2011 -- Standard for Synchrophasor Data Transfer for Power Systems -- is intended to specify a method (including messaging types, use, contents and data formats) for real-time communications among phasor measurement units (PMUs), phasor data concentrators (PDCs) and other power-system applications. IEEE C37.118.2 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.

-- IEEE C37.238(TM)-2011 -- Standard Profile for Use of IEEE Std. 1588 Precision Time Protocol in Power System Applications -- is designed to provide precise time synchronization within and among substations across wide geographic areas via Ethernet communications networks. The standard is intended to extend proven techniques for precise time distribution to applications such as mission-critical power-system protection, control, automation and data communication. IEEE C37.238 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.

-- IEEE C37.232(TM)-2011 -- Standard for Common Format for Naming Time Sequence Data Files (COMNAME) -- is designed to define the naming of time sequence data (TSD) files that originate from digital-protection and -measurement devices. The standard procedure--gaining in popularity among major utilities, independent system operators and manufacturers and recommended for use by North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC)--helps resolve problems associated with reporting, saving, exchanging, archiving and retrieving large numbers of files. IEEE C37.232 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.

-- IEEE 1020(TM)-2011 -- Guide for Control of Small (100 kVA to 5 MVA) Hydroelectric Power Plants -- updates an existing IEEE standard to address significant technology changes impacting small hydro-plant control issues and monitoring requirements that have emerged since the guide's original publication. IEEE 1020 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.

Additionally, IEEE-SA recently modified the scope and purpose of an existing standards-development project related to the smart grid. IEEE P1409(TM) -- Draft Guide for the Application of Power Electronics for Power Quality Improvement on Distribution Systems Rated 1 kV Through 38 kV -- is being developed to introduce and define the emerging technology of "custom power" and detail guidelines and performance expectations for its application in improving power quality and control. IEEE P1409 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.

About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. 

About IEEE

IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. 

India to be third largest smart grid market after China and the US

IEEE- Standards Association (IEEE -SA), the standards development body of IEEE predicts that India is set to become the third largest smart grid market in the world. IEEE-SA is looking forward to collaborate with Indian academics, standards bodies, experts, industry leaders, and government to develop India-specific standards to meets it unique and specific needs. “Without proper standards, the realization of smart grid would be difficult. IEEE-SA is investing in creating awareness and bringing multiple stakeholders together to transfer best practices and knowledge from Smart Grid markets and perspectives,” Mr Srikanth Chandrasekaran, Chairperson of IEEE-SA India SIG (Standards Interest Group), said. “IEEE-SA has taken a lead role in the identification and development of standards for the smart grid.” Earlier this year,IEEE-SA launched Smart Grid Interoperability standards project in India  under the India Standards Interest Group, which will closely work with their global parent group IEEE P2030 to introduce the Interoperability standards enabling faster Smart Grid Implementation.

According to recent ZPRYME report, Indian smart grid market is going to reach $1.9 billion by 2015 growing at CAGR rate of 16.3%. During the initial years, the smart grid growth may be normal, however it is set to explode towards the end of the decade as India plans to invest $900 billion in electrical infrastructure by 2020. During the same period, India plans to install 20,000 MW of solar power. The successful integration of various power sources and efficient utilization of this energy can only happen through smart intelligent grid. To meet these objectives, the country plans to install 130 million smart meters by 2021 providing huge opportunity for smart grid companies.

Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Project launched in India by IEEE

IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), a globally recognized standards setting body within IEEE, today officially introduced its globally reputed project, the "IEEE P2030TM Draft Guide for Smart Grid Interoperability of Energy Technology and Information Technology Operation with the Electric Power System (EPS) and End-Use Applications and Loads", in India. Interoperability has been one of the key concerns in building a Smart Grid in India, like in many other regions of the world and the project aims to address this. IEEE-SA's India Standards Interest Group (SIG) announced in February 2011 will work closely with IEEE P2030 Working Group to introduce interoperability standards in India later this year, enabling faster implementation of Smart Grid. 

 

Leveraging the technical breadth of IEEE-SA and its open standards development process, IEEE P2030 will provide a knowledge base for understanding and defining Smart Grid interoperability of the electric power system with end use applications and loads. It will involve the integration of energy technology and information and communications technologies, slated to be among the most important essentials to achieve seamless operation for electric generation, delivery, and end-use benefits that will permit two-way power flow with communication and control.

Dick DeBlasio, Chair, IEEE-SA P2030 Working Group commented, "The approval of IEEE P2030 represents a significant milestone for IEEE, the public, industry and Governments across countries, especially with the global focus on bringing intelligence and standardization to the way energy is transmitted, distributed, managed and kept secure. And it strongly addresses the need to reduce energy transmission's carbon footprint. India is among the most promising and growing Smart Grid markets in the world and we firmly believe that IEEE P2030 will define key elements of a modern, intelligent grid and accelerate progress in making Smart Grid a success in India."

Srikanth Chandrasekaran, Chair - India SIG, IEEE-SA further explained, "IEEE P2030 will provide urgently needed guidelines for Smart Grid interoperability, building on the many technologies used in the electric power system and merging these with communication, monitoring, and analysis technologies and capabilities. Interconnection and intra-facing frameworks and strategies with design definitions are addressed in this standard, providing guidance in expanding the current knowledge base. This expanded knowledge base is a key element in grid architectural designs and operations and leads to a more reliable and flexible electric power system. The IEEE P2030 standards project will support the goal of the India Smart Grid Task Force to coordinate the development of interoperability standards, critical to achieve the Smart Grid vision in India."

About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. For more information see the IEEE-SA website.

About IEEE
IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.