Form Follows Function: The Evolution of Control Center Architectures

Abstract

Impressive progress has been made in the last three decades in the transformation of the basically manual forn1 of central dispatching to the modern electric power control centers of today. Control centers do much more than just dispatch load and personnel. The term load dispatching office or load dispatching center has long become an anachronism. The additions or changes of control center functions have been evolving at a slow yet steady pace, coping with old and new problems of operation. The implementation of these changes, in concert with the availability of new technologies, reshape the architecture of control centers. The precepts of control centers architectures have spread from the operation of generationtransmission, to distribution, to power plants, and to substations. We will review the changes which have taken place and are continuing in these areas of operation. We will not that the dictum Form Follows Function enunciated by the renowned architect Mies van der Rohe aptly characterizes the evolving design of control center architectures. The process has not ended because as utility structures and responsabilities change, as the effectiveness of existing practices are scrutinized, new functions are required and some old functions are being cast aside. Advances in hardware and software technology shape the forms of control center architectures. In our review, we will highlight the computer and communication technologies which are being implemented to support the functional requirements of control centers. We wiil make the observation that technology should be harnessed only if functionality is enhanced and made more effective. Application of a technology with little or no real value to operation amounts to an architectural frill. We will touch upon some of the difficulties and pitfalls of control center procurement and implementation in the present environment of rapidly changing technology. We will conclude with a summary of the present state of implementation of the latest control center architectures in Energy Management Systems (EMS), Distribution Management Systems (DMS), power plants, and substations.