Present and future trends and needs in electric power quality sensors and instrumentation

Sensors and instrumentation systems form an important part of power quality assessment and preservation In this paper, the present and future trends i n power quality instrumentation are discussed and the present capabilities are identified (e.g., bandwidth, dynamic range, quantities measured). Innov ative methods of instrumenting nonsinusoidal voltages and currents are desc ribed, including applications of the Global Positioning System (GPS), solid state sensors, sensors that involve light and video, advanced data compres sion techniques, and advanced state estimation. The cost-to-benefit ratio o f sensor development is evaluated in the context of the deregulated electri c utility business environment.