Grid Reliability & Infrastructure Flashcards
7 cards from real AEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Grid Reliability & Infrastructure flashcards as text
What does AEP's 'integrated resource plan' (IRP) primarily address?
Answer: Long-term planning for generation, transmission, and demand to meet future needs
An IRP is a long-range planning document that evaluates supply and demand options to reliably meet customers' energy needs over a 10–20 year horizon.
Which grid event led to major NERC reliability reforms and affected AEP's territory in August 2003?
Answer: The Northeast Blackout of 2003
The August 2003 Northeast Blackout, triggered partly in AEP's Ohio territory, affected 55 million people and led directly to mandatory NERC reliability standards.
What is the function of a 'static var compensator' (SVC) on AEP's transmission system?
Answer: Provide dynamic reactive power support to maintain voltage stability
SVCs rapidly inject or absorb reactive power to regulate bus voltage and improve dynamic stability on high-voltage transmission systems.
In the PJM market where AEP participates, what is a 'capacity market' designed to ensure?
Answer: Sufficient generation resources are available to meet peak demand reliably
Capacity markets compensate generators for being available to produce power during peak demand periods, ensuring long-term resource adequacy.
What infrastructure challenge does 'right-of-way' (ROW) management primarily address for AEP?
Answer: Maintaining cleared land corridors for transmission lines to prevent outages
ROW management involves clearing vegetation and managing land beneath and adjacent to transmission lines to prevent tree-contact outages and maintain reliability.
What is the purpose of AEP's SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system?
Answer: Remotely monitor and control grid equipment from a central operations center
SCADA systems collect real-time data from sensors across the grid and allow operators to remotely control breakers, switches, and other equipment.
Which factor most directly determines a transmission line's 'surge impedance loading' (SIL)?
Answer: The line's inductance and capacitance characteristics
SIL is determined by the natural impedance (inductance and capacitance) of the line; operating near SIL minimizes reactive power flow and improves efficiency.