[White Paper Recap] 5 Takeaways from “Best Practices in Grid Monitoring with Power Quality Compliance Reporting”

As the electric grid evolves, utilities face more and more challenges in maintaining reliable power. Various factors —  like renewable energy sources, increasingly complex electrical loads, aging infrastructure and extreme weather — are changing how the grid operates. It’s also creating new demands for monitoring and managing power quality. 

To help utilities navigate this changing landscape, Powerside recently co-authored a white paper in CIGRE, “Best Practices in Grid Monitoring with Power Quality Compliance Reporting.” The paper explores how permanently installed power quality monitoring (PQM) solutions and continuous compliance reporting can help utilities turn grid data into actionable insights, enabling them to:

• Make more informed decisions about grid operations and performance

• Identify and address emerging issues before they affect reliability

• Take a more proactive approach to managing power quality

Keep reading for 5 key takeaways from the white paper, or read it in full here.

Takeaway #1: Continuous Power Quality Monitoring Provides Insights Needed for Effective Decision-Making

Periodic power quality testing can give you a snapshot of electrical system performance, but grid conditions are constantly changing. Shifts in load, generation and system impedance can introduce power quality issues over time, like transients and harmonic distortions. 

Permanent power quality monitoring solutions provide ongoing visibility into system behavior, helping utilities establish performance baselines, track changes and identify recurring issues before they escalate. Frequently, these types of monitoring solutions also provide automated compliance reporting and alerts, making it far easier to catch non-compliant conditions and quickly take corrective action.

Takeaway #2: Marrying Power Quality and Reliability Metrics Provides a Clearer Picture

Power quality and reliability go hand in hand for understanding overall grid performance. Traditional reliability metrics provide an important picture of system performance, but they’re only one piece of the puzzle. High-fidelity power quality monitoring adds another layer of visibility, helping connect the dots for a more complete understanding of what’s happening across the grid.

By tracking parameters such as voltage, frequency, harmonics, flicker and power factor, power quality data can help operators:

• Identify abnormalities

• Investigate disturbances

• Pinpoint opportunities for mitigation

The result is a more informed approach to maintaining long-term grid reliability.

Takeaway #3: As the Grid Changes, Power Quality Should Be Reassessed

The grid is constantly changing, and so is power quality. A single assessment made at commissioning provides only a snapshot of system performance, not necessarily a picture of long-term reliability.

So as electrical systems evolve, new loads and operating conditions can introduce vulnerabilities and grid disturbances. Sites once deemed complaint may no longer meet the same standards over time. Ongoing power quality monitoring and periodic reassessments help utilities identify emerging issues and make informed decisions to maintain optimal performance over time.

Takeaway #4: Power Quality Issues Can Hide Behind Seemingly Compliant Systems 

One of the white paper’s case studies illustrates how a utility investigated repeated ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) trips reported by residents near a utility-scale solar farm. 

Although conventional harmonic compliance testing showed the site was within established limits, further analysis uncovered problematic higher-order harmonics associated with inverter operation. Adjustments to the inverter’s switching controls reduced the targeted harmonics. 

This case exemplifies how passing a standard compliance assessment doesn’t necessarily mean there are no power quality concerns. More detailed monitoring, like that found in advanced power quality monitoring solutions, can reveal hidden issues that affect sensitive equipment and end users.

Takeaway #5: Proactive Monitoring Can Identify Problems Before They Cause Disruptions

Reliability metrics capture outages, but they don’t tell the whole story of what customers experience. Momentary voltage sags, for example, can disrupt sensitive equipment and costly operations without ever registering as an outage.

Power quality monitoring helps utilities better understand the timing, frequency and breadth of these conditions. This kind of visibility makes it easier to identify areas for improvement and get ahead of emerging issues, ultimately helping to better serve customers.

Building a More Reliable Grid Starts with Better Visibility

As grid conditions become more complex, utilities need the advanced tools and information to move beyond reactive troubleshooting. Continuous power quality monitoring and compliance reporting provide the visibility needed to identify emerging issues and make more informed decisions that support long-term system reliability.

Want to take a more proactive approach to power quality?

Explore Powerside’s power quality monitoring and analytics solutions, or connect with a power quality expert to learn how we can help you gain greater visibility into your electrical system.

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