NASPI News Flash

New! November 24, 2009, Secretary Chu Announces $620 Million for Smart Grid Demonstration and Energy Storage Projects. Learn more about the full list of awards.

October 27, 2009, President Obama Announces $3.4 Billion Investment to Spur Transition to Smart Energy Grid. Smart Grid Investment Awards (PDF 141KB) and Smart Grid Investment Grant Location Map (PDF 568KB).
October 7, 2009 - TVA has released the Super Phasor Data Concentrator to public as the openPDC. Learn more about the openPDC!
September 24, 2009 - NIST releases updated Smart Grid interoperability Plans -- several of these Priority Action Plans pertain to synchrophasor technology.
Press releases:
- Commerce Secretary Unveils Plan for Smart Grid Interoperability
- NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 1.0 (Draft), up for 30 day comment period from 9/24/09 (PDF 1,015KB)
- NIST Smart Grid Cyber Security Strategy and Requirements, Draft NISTIR 7628, 9/09 (PDF 1,042KB)
August 21, 2009, U.S. DOE Press Release, DOE Provides $4.3 Million to Improve Reliability of the U.S. Electric Grid.
August 18, 2009, NASPInet industry comments to-date (PDF 1,512KB)
July 19, 2009, The North American SynchroPhasor Initiative -- Improving Grid Reliability NARUC Electric Reliability Committee (PDF 11,900KB) and SynchroPhasor Briefing FERC-NARUC Smart Grid Collaborative (PDF 14,801KB)
June 25, 2009, the following Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) were posted:
1) U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory Recovery Act - Smart Grid Demonstrations Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0000036, response date: 08/26/2009 03:00 PM ET (PDF 328KB)
2) U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Smart Grid Investment Grant Program Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0000058, response date: 08/06/2009 08:00 PM ET (PDF 348KB)

North American SynchroPhasor Initiative

The mission of the North American SynchroPhasor Initiative is to improve power system reliability and visibility through wide area measurement and control.

Synchrophasors are precise grid measurements now available from monitors called phasor measurement units (PMUs). PMU measurements are taken at high speed (typically 30 observations per second – compared to one every 4 seconds using conventional technology). Each measurement is time-stamped according to a common time reference. Time stamping allows synchrophasors from different utilities to be time-aligned (or “synchronized”) and combined together providing a precise and comprehensive view of the entire interconnection. Synchrophasors enable a better indication of grid stress, and can be used to trigger corrective actions to maintain reliability.

The NASPI community is working to advance the deployment and use of networked phasor measurement devices, phasor data-sharing, applications development and use, and research and analysis. Important applications today include wide-area monitoring, real-time operations, power system planning, and forensic analysis of grid disturbances. Phasor technology is expected to offer great benefit for integrating renewable and intermittent resources, automated controls for transmission and demand response, increasing transmission system throughput, and improving system modeling and planning.

NASPI is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and North American electric utilities, vendors, consultants, federal and private researchers and academics. NASPI activities are funded by DOE and NERC, and by the voluntary efforts of many industry members and experts.

For more information, please contact:

Learn more about NASPI's vision and mission.