Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP) has selected Alstom to deliver grid stability package to strengthen overall grid stability and improve asset efficiency through monitoring, managing and analysing the dynamics of the Arizona utility’s grid.
Alstom’s Grid Stability Package, based on e-terraphasorpoint and e-terraphasoranalytics software, will allow TEP to leverage its high-speed communications infrastructure and recent deployment of Phasor Measurement Units[1] (PMUs) to better manage grid stability at a time when the utility is expanding its solar energy portfolio.
TEP provides electric service to more than 414,000 customers in southern Arizona and ranks among the nation’s top ten utilities in expanding its solar energy portfolio, according to the Solar Electric Power Association. TEP and other Arizona utilities are required to supply increasing amounts of renewable energy with a target of 15 percent of total retail power sales by 2025. Alstom’s Grid Stability Package will enable TEP to better manage the variability of solar generation being integrated onto the grid and provide fast, relevant data for engineering, operations and planning purposes.
TEP will also use Alstom’s software solutions to help leverage its existing grid assets. Alstom software will enable TEP to increase use of its transmission assets by better managing power line congestion and optimizing the amount of electricity flowing on the network without jeopardizing the stability of the grid.
"Our partnership with Alstom will allow us to derive greater value from available data. We can gather a lot of information, but if we don’t have the analytics to decipher it and improve the performance of our system, it is just data. Alstom’s software will enable TEP to securely increase our power transfer levels and track our system’s dynamics using the latest synchrophasor-based information sources being deployed on our physical grid today," said Chris Fleenor, Manager of Meter and Protection Engineering for TEP.
"Alstom’s work with TEP is focused on demonstrating the value of synchrophasors and the versatility of our Wide Area Monitoring technology from a Transmission Operator’s perspective. The company is excited to welcome a new customer to its US installed base community and eager to deliver solutions to enable TEPs commitment to integrating more renewable energy, better using existing assets and maintaining the stability of their grid," said Karim El Naggar, Vice President, Network Management Solutions, Alstom Grid.
Alstom has implemented its Grid Stability and Wide Area Monitoring solutions at large US Independent System Operators and Transmission Operators, and around the world to utilities in India, Latin America and the United Kingdom.