|
Flexible alternating current (AC) transmission systems, or FACTS, incorporate high-current and high-voltage power electronic devices to increase the carrying capacity of individual transmission lines and improve overall system reliability by reacting very quickly to grid disturbances.
Using such responsive electronics, the electric power industry envisions converting the electric power grid to more of a networked system that responds in real time to a broader dispersion of electric generators, higher and less-predictable line loadings, and a vast increase in transactions. The data and control system needed to achieve such a system would likely be a dispersed network, much like the Internet.
One technical problem of achieving this system is figuring out how to decentralize the control of the system while maintaining the essential balance between electrical loads and electrical generation.
|
