Reactive load and reserve calculation in real-time computer control system

The authors discuss a computer program for calculating reactive power load and reserve for the Con Edison system in a real-time environment, which has been made available to operators at the Con Edison Energy Control Center in New York City. It is the first phase of a comprehensive plan to manage and dispatch reactive power. The calculations are performed in a real-time environment by the control center's energy management system computer. It utilizes available telemetry and operator-entered data to track the condition of about 400 separate entities, and updates their condition every 10 s. >