Visibility of WECC Wide Area System Tests Measured from the Consumer Level

Abstract

For over a decade, the BPA and WECC have been routinely performing system wide tests. These tests involve injecting known probing signals at the PDCI or applying the Chief Joseph Brake. Most of the literature analyzing the tests have been carried out with data gathered from transmission level voltages. This paper takes a low voltage perspective and analyzes the power signal from a consumer viewpoint using PMU measurements. The objective is to see which of these tests are visible at the consumer level and, if detectable, the size of the disturbance. There are some probing signals that will not be detected as consumer voltages are noisy compared to their transmission counterparts and the signal is attenuated. This paper focuses on signals that can be detected.