EEE 470/591: Electric Power Devices

Fall 2018 Bonus Project

Due on Nov 30 (Friday), 2018 at 11:59 PM (MST)
Please Submit Your Project Report through Blackboard Course Website
Only ONE Submission Attempt is allowed for Each Student

Announcement:
This is a bonus project. Students completing this project could earn at most 10 bonus points toward their
final weighted grades for this course. Students not completing this project will not lose any points.

Project Description (10 Bonus Points toward Final Grade)

Read the final report on the August 14, 2003 Blackout in the United States and Canada. This report
analyzes the causes of the 2003 major electricity blackout, and provides recommendations for improving
the power grid and preventing similar events. The report can be found in the link below:

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/oeprod/DocumentsandMedia/BlackoutFinal-Web.pdf

Submit a project report following these instructions:

1. The length of the project report should not exceed 10 pages (letter size).
2. Summarize what happened during the 2003 blackout. Clearly describe the sequence of different
events that led to the blackout (the cascading failure).
3. Identify the causes (contributing factors) for the 2003 blackout. Describe the roles of system
protection devices in this blackout.
4. Summarize the recommendations to prevent power grid blackouts in the future.
5. According to your understanding, analyze the inappropriate coordination of the protection devices
during the 2003 blackout, and make your suggestions for improving the protection device
coordination.