An Unsupervised Learning Method for Early Event Detection in Smart Grid with Big Data

Power systems are developing very fast nowadays, both in size and in complexity; this situation is a challenge for Early Event Detection (EED). This paper proposes a datadriven unsupervised learning method to handle this challenge. Specifically, the random matrix theories (RMTs) are introduced as the statistical foundations for random matrix models (RMMs); based on the RMMs, linear eigenvalue statistics (LESs) are defined via the test functions as the system indicators. By comparing the values of the LES between the experimental and the theoretical ones, the anomaly detection is conducted. Furthermore, we develop 3D power-map to visualize the LES; it provides a robust auxiliary decision-making mechanism to the operators. In this sense, the proposed method conducts EED with a pure statistical procedure, requiring no knowledge of system topologies, unit operation/control models, etc. The LES, as a key ingredient during this procedure, is a high dimensional indictor derived directly from raw data. As an unsupervised learning indicator, the LES is much more sensitive than the low dimensional indictors obtained from supervised learning. With the statistical procedure, the proposed method is universal and fast; moreover, it is robust against traditional EED challenges (such as error accumulations, spurious correlations, and even bad data in core area). Case studies, with both simulated data and real ones, validate the proposed method. To manage largescale distributed systems, data fusion is mentioned as another data processing ingredient.