Topology error identification using a two-stage DC state estimator

One of the fundamental tenets in deregulation of the power system is to provide fair and open access to transmission facilities. This requires that market participants, both power brokers and generation companies, have complete and timely information as to the transmission availability. The present system of posting available transmission capacities (ATC) is useful but limited because there is no information to predict how these ATCs will change with changing power transfers. It has been proposed that all traders have access to the real-time data of the full transmission model, i.e., state estimator results from the control centers, but this may be too complex and voluminous to be useful to the traders. Instead, making DC power flow data for real-time conditions may provide enough transmission data for traders to make knowledgeable decisions. In this paper, we show how the results of a DC state estimator can be accurately made available to all concerned.