Transmission system operator - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg|thumb|380px|right|Simplified diagram of AC electricity distribution from generation stations to consumers
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Power station

A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....

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Transformer

A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...

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Electric power transmission

Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...

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Transformer

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A transmission system operator (TSO) is an entity entrusted with transporting energy in the form of natural gas

Natural gas

Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...

and/or electrical power on a national or regional level, using fixed infrastructure

Infrastructure

Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...

.

Due to the cost of establishing a transmission infrastructure, such as main power lines or gas main lines and associated connection points, a TSO is usually a natural monopoly

Natural monopoly

A monopoly describes a situation where all sales in a market are undertaken by a single firm. A natural monopoly by contrast is a condition on the cost-technology of an industry whereby it is most efficient for production to be concentrated in a single form...

, and as such is often subjected to regulations.

In electrical power business, a transmission system operator (TSO) is an operator that transmits electrical power

Electric power transmission

Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...

from generation plants to regional or local electricity distribution

Electricity distribution

File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg|thumb|380px|right|Simplified diagram of AC electricity distribution from generation stations to consumers...

operators.

In natural gas business, a TSO receives gas from producers, transports it via pipeline through an area and delivers to gas distribution companies.

Role in electrical power transmission

The role of the System Operator is to manage the security of the power system in real time and co-ordinate the supply of and demand for electricity, in a manner that avoids fluctuations in frequency or interruptions of supply.
The System Operator is required to maintain a continuous (second-by-second) balance between electricity supply from power stations and demand from consumers, and also ensure the provision of reserves that will allow for sudden contingencies. The System Operator achieves this by determining the optimal combination of generating stations and reserve providers for each market trading period, instructing generators when and how much electricity to generate, and managing any contingent events that cause the balance between supply and demand to be disrupted. System Operations staff undertake this work using sophisticated energy modelling and communications systems.

In addition to its roles of real-time dispatch of generation and managing security, the System Operator also carries out investigations and planning to ensure that supply can meet demand and system security can be maintained during future trading periods. Examples of planning work may include co-ordinating generator and transmission outages, facilitating commissioning of new generating plant and procuring ancillary services to support power system operation.

The System Operator function may be owned by the transmission grid

Electric power transmission

Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...

company, or may be fully independent. They
are often wholly or partly owned by state or national governments. In many cases they are independent of electricity generation

Electricity generation

Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...

companies (upstream) and electricity distribution

Electricity distribution

File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg|thumb|380px|right|Simplified diagram of AC electricity distribution from generation stations to consumers...

companies (downstream). They are financed either by the states or countries or by charging a toll proportional to the energy they carry.

Safety and reliability are a critical issue for transmission system operators, since any failure on their grid or their electrical generation sources might propagate to a very large number of customers, causing personal and property damages. Natural hazards and generation/consumption imbalances are a major cause of concern. To minimise the probability of grid instability and failure, regional or national transmission system operators are interconnected to each other.

Role in gas transmission

A gas TSO works for the functioning of the internal market and cross-border trade for gas and to ensure the optimal management, coordinated operation and sound technical evolution of the natural gas transmission network. Some gas TSOs also provide the marketplace for gas trading, either directly or through a separate company.

Role in electrical power transmission

Role in gas transmission

See also