A measurement-based framework for dynamic equivalencing of large power systems using WAMS

Wide-area analysis and control of large-scale electric power systems are highly dependent on the idea of aggregation. For example, one often hears power system operators mentioning how `Northern Washington' oscillates against `Southern California' in response to various disturbance events. The main question here is whether we can analytically construct dynamic electromechanical models for these conceptual, aggregated generators representing Washington and California, which in reality are some hypothetical combinations of thousands of actual generators. In this paper we address this problem, and present several new results on how to construct simplified inter-area models of large power networks by using dynamic measurements available from phasor measurement units (PMUs) installed at specific points on the transmission line. Our examples of study are motivated by widely encountered power transfer paths in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), namely a two-area radial system, a two-area system with intermediate voltage control, and a star-connected three-area system.