Control center

Grid reliability is a 24-hour-a-day job requiring California ISO operators to assess the status of the transmission system at all times. The ISO operates two control centers, with the main headquarters in Folsom and a second control room in Alhambra. The new Folsom headquarters houses one or the most modern control centers in the world. The second center in Southern California is a fully-functioning facility that is ready to assume control of the grid within minutes.

Advanced grid technology is now at the fingertips of ISO operators as they manage the transmission system and the competitive power market that supports operations. Robust systems provide increased reliability and efficiency, readying the ISO to respond to the most challenging conditions including sudden changes in electrical demand, power plant disruptions or fast-moving fires and other natural disasters. The ISO main control center hosts the first renewables dispatch desk in the country showing the commitment the ISO is making to integrating green power reliably and efficiently.

High-tech visual displays dominate the control centers in Folsom and Alhambra. These video display systems allow operators to assimilate large volumes of information at a glance:

• Advanced features include enhanced visualization capabilities, high-tech work consoles a modern computerized energy management system and synchrophasor technology that takes a pulse of the power grid every 33 milliseconds rather than using the former industry standard of every four seconds.
• High-tech tools focus on fast start up of power plants, voltage stability, renewable forecasting, congestion management and reliability. Computer systems provide this information with pictures rather than thousands of individual data points.
• The Energy Management System (EMS) is the most advanced in the industry, providing the latest application software on the newest server hardware. This increases performance, capacity, and automation functions.
• Ten visualization screens display information from Google Earth and other applications spanning across an 80' wide x 6.5' high video wall at the Folsom headquarters. These screens serve a crucial need as the ISO integrates thousands of megawatts of green power onto the grid. The enhanced visibility improves wind and solar performance forecasting as well as advance weather prediction to anticipate consumer demand on the grid.