Control rooms are a key element of electricity network operation. While the look and feel of the control rooms has maintained some consistency throughout history, the visualization technology and computer processing power has evolved steadily to manage the increasing complexity of the underlying power system.
Maintaining reliability, security, and resilience in the face of this evolution requires agile adaptation of processes and advanced analytical capability. Maintaining and expanding real-time operation capability will be essential for system operators navigating their transition to a clean energy future.
To help address this challenge, several system operators partnered with G-PST– the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), EirGrid, Energinet, and National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) – worked with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to prepare a report, published in 2023, summarizing the status of control room operations and technology.
The report aims to identify existing gaps to allow the industry to collaboratively develop modernized control rooms of the future. It also intends to bridge the gap in understanding of operational issues by:
- Building awareness and a common understanding of the challenges system operators face,
- Providing a reference point for industry partners, from manufacturers to asset owners and regulators,
- Creating a useful reference to other system operators that are working to uplift operational capabilities.
To achieve G-PST’s vision of the control room of the future laid out in this report, the industry at large must work together to invest in both the human workforce and necessary technology to ensure development of control room capabilities aligns with the evolution of its underlying network and resources.
Explore other G-PST resources related to control room design.