Distribution grid monitoring has been the cornerstone of grid modernization efforts to support increasing penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). With new requirements on congestion management and capacity evaluation, Distribution System Operators (DSOs) need to proactively monitor the real-time power flow in their network. At the same time, DERs are causing trouble for protection and outage management systems, often causing dangerous misoperation and prolonged blackouts. New monitoring systems are needed to ensure grid safety and ensure high reliability of supply.

In this whitepaper, we present an emerging technology called Distribution Phasor Measurement Units (D-PMUs). These devices output time-synchronized phasor quantities of electrical parameters (V/I), the rich and coherent information contained in these measurements are processed by Zaphiro’s SynchroGuard software platform to accurately monitor faults and fast power fluctuations.