Analysis of Geomagnetically Induced Currents

Sunspot activities can cause coronal mass ejections which interact with the Earth´s magnetic field and can cause a Geomagnetic Disturbances (GMD) and subsequent widespread flows of Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) in power grids. GMD events can impact the operational reliability of transmission networks over a wide geographical area. This paper describes the use of a real time GIC simulation program rtGICsim to include the system impact of GMD into load flow analysis. It also presents validation results using the data available from the March 13-9 GMD event. Lastly, it presents system study results used in the development of key instructions for operators during severe GMD events.