Topology Control Analysis Mitigations for Geomagnetically Induced Currents

Geomagnetic disturbances (GMD) are caused by corona mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun. These solar CMEs cause changes in the earths magnetic field, which in turn produce non-uniform electric fields. These GMDs have the ability to disrupt the electric grid by causing quasi-dc geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) in the high voltage transmission grid. The 2015 National Space Weather Action Plan released by the White House called for protection, mitigation, response, and recovery from potential devastating effects of space weather for the reliability of electric power. GICs have the ability to severely disrupt the operations of our power system, including possible permanent damage to our critical assets, such as our high-voltage transformers, due to overheating and the loss of reactive power support in our transmission lines, which could lead to a voltage collapse and thus, a large-scale blackout. With an increase in interest of GICs on the transmission grid, it has become essential for engineers to determine possible protection devices, as well as mitigation and recovery schemes to lower the effect and possible damages of these GMDs. One specific area of interest is the mitigation of GICs by transmission control analysis (TCA). TCA is used on a daily basis to optimally dispatch the network topology along with generation resources, which has the ability to bypass significant congestion costs on the system and increase transfer capability. Research shows that implementing a specific TCA can also have the ability to reduce reactive power losses, which in turn can help prevent a voltage collapse and large-scale blackout.Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and ElectromechanicsOpe