A New View of AC Power Distribution Systems: Peering at power flow and stability with micro-synchrophasors

 Electric power distribution used to be so pleasant and simple: power flowed down the wires from a nice substation to a happy consumer, and if the circuit could handle peak load, it would be okay in all conditions. Today it's much more mysterious: with solar panels and wind turbines, nobody quite knows which way the power is flowing, and it changes from second to second. Even the stability of distribution systems, taken for granted a decade ago, is now being questioned. Alex McEachern and Sascha von Meier will discuss these problems -- opportunities? -- and how a proposed new micro-synchrophasor technology could open a window on distribution power flow and stability.

Speakers: Alex McEachern, President, Power Standard Lab; Alexandra von Meier, Co-Director of Electric Grid Research, CIEE