In 2020, a literature survey was performed as part of a project aimed at producing guidance for the Department of Energy in the form of a Roadmap. The topic of the Roadmap was measurement. That was viewed as being generally underrepresented in consideration of sensing and measurement or instrumentation and measurement. Sensing is just the beginning of a process, and the instrument is just the container for the process. Measurement, the experimental process, has acquired a considerable body of theory over the last few decades, theory that is not widely taught and disseminated.
The results of the survey can be said broadly to reflect that lack of appreciation.
Specifically, the review found that there is support for the development of a more “capable” PMU. New algorithms and new documentary standards will be needed. Some of the findings are:
• Point-on-wave technology adds new capability to the existing suite of measurements, and could allow for improved operation and protection
• Power quality analysis has historically been concerned with assessment of how non-sinusoidal the delivered voltage shows promise in signature recognition, a departure from the modeling that has historically characterized power system measurements.
• The PMU is assed as being a remarkable measurement system, but its performance is held back by the lack of understanding of the measurement theory underpinning its operation.
• The PMU is being considered for application in the distribution system. There is a danger that it will be seen only in the light of the successful PMU implementation in transmission, and the two have different requirements.
These various expansions of measurements will no doubt benefit from a better appreciation of the theoretical aspects of measurement. In this, and other, regards, our survey of the literature has identified gaps as well as possibilities.