What is Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU)

Renewable energy is one of the most abundant energies in our planet. In order to satisfy the world demand of electrical energy, solar and wind energy may be used. Identical to all other types of power generation plants, the integration of these renewable energy sources in smart power grid has an impact on its operation. Thus, when the electrical power is injected into the power grid by these energy sources, the system electrical parameters must be well monitored for synchronization purpose. This can be accomplished with the aid of synchro-phasors measurement units. The phase angle of the utility is a critical parameter for the operation of power devices feeding power into the grid such as PV and wind energy inverters. There are many techniques to obtain the grid phase angle such as the zero-crossing detection and the orthogonal phase locked loop. This research work discusses the use of PMUs (Phasor Measurement Unit) for providing this important parameter to system synchronization in the case of high penetration of solar or wind energy in the power grid.