MISO Reaches Milestone on Smart Grid Project

CARMEL, Ind., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — As part of a national effort to
modernize the grid, MISO and its members have achieved a major milestone in
their three-year smart grid program to install sophisticated electronic
measurement devices known as synchrophasors across the region, completing the
integration of 44 such devices at strategic points along the regional
transmission network. The $34.5 million program is funded partly by $17.3
million in Recovery Act stimulus funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy
to modernize the nation’s electrical grid.

Representatives from the DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability, which manages the $3.4 billion Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG)
program, visited MISO this week to review progress on the deployment of the
first round of the devices, known as phasor measurement units or PMUs. The
synchrophasor program, which began March 30, 2010, aims to deploy 165 PMUs at
strategic substations in the MISO region.

“Synchrophasors bring a new level of situational awareness to grid operators,”
said MISO President and Chief Executive Officer John R. Bear. “The ultimate goal
of this three-year project is to enhance visibility of the network in real time
so we can more quickly and accurately manage power flows within the Eastern
Interconnection. Collaboration with our members on this smart grid technology
has laid the foundation for using these advanced tools to enhance awareness of
system stability.”

Synchrophasors will allow MISO’s grid operators to view vital measurements of
real-time system conditions at a detailed level previously impossible to reach.
PMUs collect data 30 times every second, faster than the previous once every
four seconds. Plus they are GPS time-stamped. Understanding time-synchronized
measurements for voltage and current as well as frequency – the “pulse” of the
grid – provides grid operators with a powerful visualization tool to anticipate
and analyze potential disturbances. Synchrophasors also provide data essential
for post-mortem analysis of stressful situations on the grid.

Stresses on the system – such as increased power transfers, line outages and
loss of generation – can cause power angles to “separate indicating stress on
the system.” Large angles have often been observed to precede large-scale
blackouts. Tools such as PMUs allow operators to visualize the angle separation
and alert them when the angles indicate the system is becoming potentially
unstable. This improved knowledge of system health allows MISO and its members
to jointly take corrective actions to prevent unusual fluctuations in frequency
and possible voltage collapse.

MISO is now collecting synchrophasor data from the 44 member PMUs installed on
10 of its members’ systems. As part of this week’s site visit, the DOE
representatives from the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
visited a substation at Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL), which has
installed seven units at six of its substations.

“The partnership and collaboration between IPL and MISO has been outstanding
during this Smart Grid Investment Grant project,” said Joe Bentley, IPL’s Vice
President, Power Delivery. “The PMUs are giving us a better understanding of our
transmission system while providing valuable real-time data to MISO for overall
transmission grid reliability.”

Other MISO members in the project include: Ameren, Duke Indiana, Great River
Energy, Hoosier Energy, International Transmission Co., Manitoba Hydro-Electric
Board, MidAmerican Energy Company, Minnesota Power, Northern Indiana Public
Service Co., Otter Tail Power Company, and Vectren Corporation. More MISO
members may join the program soon.

The next phase of the project consists of developing applications that will
analyze the data collected so operators will have a clearer picture of stress
points on the grid and can make adjustments accordingly.

Track the progress of the project online at www.midwestiso.org.

About MISO

MISO ensures reliable operation and equal access to high-voltage power lines in
13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. MISO manages one of the
world’s largest energy markets, clearing more than $27 billion in energy
transactions in 2010. MISO was approved as the nation’s first regional
transmission organization in 2001. The non-profit 501(C)(4) organization is
governed by an independent Board of Directors and is headquartered in Carmel,
Ind., with operations centers in Carmel and St. Paul, Minn. Membership in the
organization is voluntary.

SOURCE MISO