IEEE-SA, NIST to address timing challenges in October workshop

August 22, 2016 - By GPS World Staff

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) will be hosting the IEEE-SA/NIST Timing Challenges in the Smart Grid Workshop on Oct. 26 in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The workshop aims to enable stakeholders to delve further into their issues in wide area precision clock synchronization in current and future power systems, as well as to collaborate in prioritizing key research and standards activities, NIST says on its website. An NIST report summarizing the challenges of wide area clock synchronization and potential solutions also will be drafted.

In the North American power grid, where each interconnection stretches over a large spatial expanse, achieving correct timing can be challenging, NIST says. Timing needs to include one microsecond synchronization to a traceable time and frequency reference for data fusion. Issues include GPS and communication infrastructure, as well as concerns for reliability and resilience if a reference source becomes unavailable.

The workshop objectives are to clearly identify and analyze the practical challenges that are currently being experienced in wide area time synchronization in current measurement and control deployments, as well as timing-related barriers that prevent the power industry from realizing future measurement and control technologies. Workshop organizers plan to initiate discussion on potential solutions and evaluate the need for standard and metrology enhancements.

Speakers

For a full list of speakers with abstracts, view this PDF .