Invited Talk: Real-World Observations of Grid Oscillations Due to Photovoltaics Via Synchrophasors

The Texas Synchrophasor Network has been monitoring the ERCOT grid since 2009. During this time, PV installations within ERCOT have grown from 15 MW in 2009 to nearly 1900 MW in 2018, with significantly more solar capacity on the way. Frequent grid oscillations in the 1.4 to 10 Hz range have been captured by the phasor measurement units and logged by the synchrophasor data collection system. These oscillations correspond to daylight hours and seasonal variations in load. This article describes the Texas Synchrophasor Network, the procedure used for detecting the low-frequency grid oscillations associated with photovoltaics, and presents actual ERCOT grid oscillation data from multiple seasons.