Barriers to a wide-area trusted network early warning system for electric power disturbances

It is apparent that perturbations of the North American electric power grid follow the patterns and characteristics of Self Organized Critical (SOC) systems. Published studies show SOC systems exhibit statistical properties that may result in early warning systems predicting electric power instability and loss of reliability. However, in order for such an early warning system to exist, a trusted wide-area data network must collate information from disparate subsystems and compile that information into homogenous data records for input to a modeling system. This paper explores similarities between wide-area trusted computer networks and the needs of a wide-area trusted network early warning system for electric power instability. An analysis of commercial equipment used in power stations uncovers disparate access methods and protocols that inhibit interoperability, and yet that problem has been mitigated in computer networking. Recent advances lend hope that wide-area data collection and modeling of electric power system perturbations will be commonplace in the not to distant future.