Using PMU signals from dominant paths in power system wide-area damping control

This article presents a comprehensive study of dominant inter-area oscillation path signals and their application for power system wide-area damping control (WADC). The analysis, carried out on both small and large study systems, focuses on the relationships that emerge from physical characteristics of inter-area oscillations, namely the modal observability of signals from dominant paths and their corresponding control loop system properties (i.e. stability and robustness). The aim is to be able to appropriately exploit the dominant path signals for the mitigation of inter-area oscillations. Guidelines and considerations are provided to facilitate the design of WADC using the proposed approach. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.