Comprehensive Review of PMU Applications in Smart Grid: Enhancing Grid Reliability and Efficiency

In the contemporary energy landscape, the transition from traditional power grids to smart grids is being increasingly facilitated by the real-time monitoring, protection, and control capabilities provided by wide-area measurement systems. The core of this evolution is the synchrophasor technology, which provides time-synchronized phasor measurements (an essential component for the successful implementation of smart grids). These phasor measurements are acquired through advanced, rapid, time-stamped devices known as phasor measurement units (PMUs), which play a pivotal role in enhancing grid reliability and efficiency. PMUs providehigh accuracy and precision in capturing electric phasors. This advancement has significantly contributed to the reliability of power systems. The data obtained from the PMUs can be applied across a diverse range of contexts and categorized according to their time criticality requirements. Furthermore, the applications can be classified according to their operational foci. A comprehensive review of the pivotal role of PMUs within the context of smart grid systems is presented. It systematically addresses the following key areas: the significance of real-time monitoring and control facilitated by PMUs in smart grids, contribution of PMUs to enhanced situational awareness, utilization of PMU data for state estimation applications, and critical function of PMUs in accurately identifying faults and their locations within the smart grid infrastructure. Additionally, PMU data management is explored. The focus here is on the processes of data acquisition and transmission enabled by PMUs in smart grids and the relevant communication technologies and protocols employed. This study aims to highlight the integral role of PMUs in optimizing the performance and reliability of smart grid networks.