Using Synchrophasors for Frequency Response Analysis in the Western Interconnection

Frequency response has received a lot of attention in recent years at the national level, which culminated in the development and approval of NERC BAL-003-1 Frequency Response and Frequency Bias Setting Reliability Standard. WECC JSIS, NASPI, BPA, CERTS and PNNL collaborate on the common goals to deliver to the industry applications for frequency response analysis at interconnection, Balancing Authority and individual power plant levels. This paper describes a Frequency Response Analysis Tool that has been used for establishing a frequency response baseline for the Western Interconnection. It describes how synchrophasor data are used in determining generator response characteristics – “frequency responsive,” “under load control,” or “baseloaded.” This paper also discusses and provides an example of how the distribution of frequency response across a region can impact power pick-up on major transmission paths.