By upholding the success of ultra-high voltage alternating current pilot project as the landmark, State Grid is planning to build a robust grid rests upon ultra-high voltage backbone frame, coordinated by all levels of grid.
The development of grid promotes the improvement of the level of dispatching technology and equipment. The total number of technological equipments continuously increases and the scope of coverage further expands and application level continuously extends vertically. Currently, grid dispatching technological support system is already well in place, upon which 10 sets of different dispatch support system for different business applications are operated and utilized, including energy management system, wide area measurement system, dynamic stabilization pre-alarm system, dispatch planning system, simulated training system of dispatchers, automatic dispatch system, power measuring system, failure information protection management system, dispatch management system and thunder monitoring and positioning system, providing a range of functions such as SCADA, automatic power generation control, network topology, status prediction, dispatch trend, network equivalent, static security analysis, automatic alarm and inquiry, power system simulation training, dynamic pre-alarm, measurement of electricity, dispatching plan, repair and management, dispatch automation, failure information protection management, thunder monitoring and positioning, basically meeting the needs of real-time monitoring and alarm, dispatching plan, security checking and dispatch management, effectively guaranteeing safe and quality economic operation of State Grid, playing an indispensable role in monitoring state grid operations, guaranteeing and managing power in important national activities, dealing with emergencies of state grid, sifting through comprehensive information on dispatch system and showcasing the positive image of state grid enterprises.
Major problems involved in power dispatch
Means of technical support does not correspond to power grid development. Ultra-high voltage inter-connecting power grid mechanism is required to be categorized and explored vertically; the application functions of real-time monitoring and pre-alarm system are comparatively comprehensive, but online analysis is far from practical. The dispatch plan has yet to meet the requirements of coordinated automatic formation, safety and costs; technical support system is not standardized, particularly in the application of full-grid coordinated control technologies, in that uniform coordination and management are lacking. Backup dispatch building lags behind, failing to meet the requirements of continuous operation and control by large grid. The level of standard for relaying protection and security control devices is to be further boosted. The power communication and transmission network structure requires further optimization and power communication resources require optimization and integration.
 For many years, relatively practical dispatch automation system has been gradually established across all levels of dispatching for state grid company system, playing an important role in guaranteeing safe and quality economic operation of power grid and enhancing the level of dispatch and management. By the end of 2008, dispatch for company system region or above and 80% of town-level had been equipped with dispatch technological support, accomplishing monitoring of operation of power grid within the jurisdiction, serving a vital part in safe, stable economic operation of power grid. However, more efforts are required to meet the new requirements for companies and power grid to accomplish “two transformations” and breaking through to the next level, because it has yet to meet the requirement of safe and stable operation of ultra-high voltage grid, smart grid, energy-efficient power grid and specification of dispatch management. It is necessary to research and develop smart grid dispatch technological support system that caters for the needs of dispatch production on national, network, provincial, regional, and town levels.
Overall Goals of Smart Dispatch
The overall goals of smart dispatch are to: by utilizing smart dispatch technological support system as means of support, comprehensively raise the ability in dispatching large power grid, resource optimization and configuration, in-depth risk defense, scientific policy management, flexible and efficient control and fair and friendly market coordination; fully press forward with automation of power grid control, digitization of collection of working status, interaction of machine network coordination, informationization of dispatch management; accomplish scientific organization of power production, accurate command, guide and efficient coordination to guarantee safe, economical and quality operation.
Smart dispatch (explanation of terminology) refers to increasing the power grid control capability and level of scientific management by means of application of all sorts of technological means involved in power grid dispatch, accomplishing accurate command and operation of the process of power production to ensure safety and reliability of power grid, flexible coordination, environmental protection and efficient operation.
Smart dispatch shall be subject to transformations of automation, digitization, informationization and interaction.
Automation ultimately aims to achieve comprehensive and online tracking, automatic smart alarm, analysis and decision-making process, comprehensive pre-alarm, fine dispatch control, multi-dimensional and multi-layer coordinated security defense and optimization coordination plan, including acute full-view pre-alarm, optimized, self-adapted automatic adjustment, multi-dimensional full-view coordinated control, uniform fine dispatch plan and standardized process-oriented efficient management.
Digitization refers to dispatch information, method of measurement and control and transactional flow going digital. This ensures accuracy, integrity, timeliness and consistency of basic data, carrying out comprehensive, accurate description of digitization of actual power grid, establishing complete digitized power grid, comprehensively raising the level of automation, and providing strong data support to analysis, computation and control of power grid.
Informationization involves informationization of dispatch production, including collection of real-time data, and centralization and sharing of wide-area and full-view information. It is expected that uniform, standardized information system, efficient network-based information communication, standard process-oriented information management and perfect information security protection system collectively help to accomplish sharing of information resources, networking of data collection and transmission, visualization of analysis and intelligent decision-making process.
Interaction is necessary to accomplish multi-level, coordination and operation, machine-network coordination and operational control, flexible access of large-scale clean energy source and distributed power source, interaction, and meeting the requirement of interaction with users; raising the control strategy of AGC and AVC, increasing frequency, intelligence level of electrical voltage control and level of specification.
Stage-by-stage Goal of Smart Dispatch
The period from 2009 to 2011 revolves around raising the ability of large power grid and management of scientific decision-making process, accomplishing smart dispatch technological system and key technological research and working towards the goal of raising accuracy and reliability of data, pressing forward with comprehensive compilation of basic data and making system application functions more practical. It is hoped that the research and establishment of pilot project of four types of application functions of smart dispatch technological support system be completed; visual online analysis of running grid and real-time pre-alarm be accomplished and integrated analysis of cross-transactional, multi-dimensional and full-view information be conducted to raise the ability to seize control over large power grid. By 2011, key technological research on smart dispatch has attained the leading position around the world.
From 2012 to 2015, the key will lie in raising vertical risk defense capability and flexible and efficient dispatch capability, comprehensively pressing forward with establishment of smart dispatch center on national, network and provincial levels, further boosting the extent of integration of dispatch business. Real-time coordinated decision-making and rapid simulation of establishing large grid prevention control and emergency control and accomplishment of digitization of power grid, real-time operational control, specification of dispatch management and making dispatch decisions more scientific are hoped to be achieved. By 2015, it is expected that smart dispatch center will be built and smart dispatch technological support system meet the international leading position.
From 2016 and 2020, the key will lie in raising the resource optimization configuration capability and fair, friendly market dispatch capability; establishing an integrated smart dispatch system composed of security defense, economic optimization and efficient management to form a multi-period, multi-defense-lines, multi-level comprehensive defense system of power grid security, support orderly access and smart interaction of all sorts of power supply. By 2020, the establishment of smart dispatch center will have attained world leading level.
Overall technologies
Stick to autonomous innovation and carry out intensive development and standardized management and revolve around the research and development of smart dispatch technological support system; establish four major types of application functions along these three main lines of development and implement homogeneous dispatch management via integrated dispatch tasks.
Three major lines revolve around integrated sharing platform support, multi-dimensional coordinated safety defense and finely optimized dispatch plan so that one can timely perceive full-view information, accomplish smart alarm, online pre-alarm, dynamic self-adapted adjustment, smart decision, coordinated control by layer, visual display, fine dispatch plan, standard efficient process-oriented management and efficient network-based information communication.
Establishment of four types of application functions refers to real-time monitoring and pre-alarm applications, safety assessment applications, dispatch plan applications and dispatch management applications to provide comprehensive and adequate monitoring, analysis, adjustment, and method of control for the safe and stable operation of ultra-large power grid, provide tools that comprehensively take the economic properties of power system and uniform resource allocation optimization of power grid security and realize standardized and professional management of dispatch center.
In an effort to meet the requirement fast development of state grid and safe and stable operation of ultra-high voltage power grid, raise dispatch ability to exercise control over large power grid and the level of dispatch technological development, and press forcefully forward with standardization of technological support system, State Grid companies drafted “Architecture for Smart Power Grid Dispatch Technological Support System Establishment”. This system is comprised of platform, real-time monitoring and pre-alarm, dispatch plan, security verification, and dispatch management. The system revolves around distributed integrated sharing information support, multi-dimensional coordinated security defense, optimized dispatch plan and standard process-oriented efficient management, providing comprehensive smart power grid dispatch technological support, accomplishing acute full-view pre-alarm, optimized self-adapted automatic adjustment, multi-dimensional full-view coordinated control, planned refined dispatch plan and standard process-oriented efficient management.
To enable better, faster, safer and more stable operation of smart power grid dispatch technological support system, system planning has the following requirements of platform:
1. High reliability. During the process of system establishment, it involves plenty of server, network and relevant software in I/II/III zone. The stability and reliability of the entire system holds the key to building smart power grid. During the process of system building, Inspur adopts full redundant four-way, four-processor, enterprise-level servers for both database server and application server to guarantee high reliability of the system.
2. Overall system performance. Smart power grid system involves large amounts of data exchange and data processing, setting relatively higher performance requirements for server, network and database. Apart from providing the best four-way, four-processor server to State Grid, these server products and domestic operating system and database system have outstanding compatibility.
3. System security. Smart power grid plays an indispensable role in the nation’s economic development. The servers used undertake operational control of power grid and dispatch production management in I/II/III. The server products provided by Inspur are invariably autonomously researched and developed and have autonomous intellectual property rights. Meanwhile, Inspur is also actively involved in establishing standards for national security servers and all the server products are in line with the GB/ T21028-2007 secure server standard.
4. System Manageability. System management plays an important role in smooth operation of smart power grid and all the Inspur products are equipped with perfect management system, helping users to accomplish remote server management and maintenance, providing a guarantee for stable operation of smart power grid.
“Smart power grid” dispatch automation system is borrowed to conduct demand analysis of each server application in the server zone. The server is deployed in such a way that EMS energy management system is installed in zone I; dispatch plan management system is installed in zone II and dispatch operational management system is installed in zone II. All the server products meet the aforementioned application requirements for the three zones.
Establishing backup dispatch control center
The establishment of backup dispatch is helpful to building state grid dispatch, raising the ability of power grid in tackling emergencies and dealing with accidents, meeting the actual requirements of building ultra-high voltage power grid, synchronizing “Sanhua” power grid and fast development of coordination of all levels of power grid, further boosting safety, reliability and disaster-tolerance of power grid dispatch, effectively, heading off all sorts of risks such as fire hazard, technical failure and natural disaster, serious public sanitation and unexpected important public events in an attempt to ensure safe and stable operation of large power grid.
According to the requirements of reinforcing the establishment of state grid dispatch, the building of backup dispatch is incorporated in the overall framework of dispatch integration of state grid. Emphasis has been laid on planning, proposal inspection, standardized technical standard, design and development, as well as organization and implementation. Apart from Jiangsu and five units where backup dispatch has already been established, backup dispatch functions are expected to be accomplished in a batch-by-batch fashion across the newly established backup dispatch over 25 grids and provinces.
In 2009, backup dispatch system was successfully established in eight units. Among them, provincial dispatch in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hubei, Henan, Liaoning and Ningxia adopted identical backup dispatch of system building to the original main backup automation system. Huazhong grid dispatch adopts smart dispatch technological support system to accomplish backup dispatch functions.
In 2010, backup dispatch system was established in 12 units, including north China, northeast China, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Jiangxi, Chongqing, Heilongjiang, Jilin, northwest China and Tibet The provincial dispatch adopts smart dispatch technological support system to accomplish backup dispatch functions.  
In 2011, backup dispatch system was built in five units. East China, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Hunan directly adopt smart dispatch technological support system to accomplish backup dispatch functions. Among them, north China, east China and central China grid dispatch and national grid adopt inter-backup between main grids (1+3 mode), integrated with updating and modification of each main grid automation system, equipped with standard technological support system, gradually establishing inter-backup integrated “Sanhua” power grid smart dispatch technological support system, creating conditions for further reinforcing “Sanhua” ultra-high voltage inter-connecting large power grid dispatch.