Two significant trends of recent power system evolution are: (1) increasing installa-tion of dynamic loads and distributed generation resources in distribution systems; (2) large-scale renewable energy integration at the transmission system level. A majority of these devices interface with power systems through power electronic converters. However, existing transient stability (TS) simulators are inadequate to represent the dynamic behavior of these devices accurately. On the other hand, simulating a large system using an electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulator is computationally impractical. EMT-TS hybrid simulation approach is an alternative to address these challenges. Furthermore, to thoroughly analyze the increased interactions among the transmission and distribution systems, an integrated modeling and simulation approach is essential.

The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on an improved hybrid simulation approach and software development. Compared to the previous work, the pro-posed approach has three salient features: three-sequence TS simulation algorithm, three-phase/three-sequence network equivalencing and flexible switching of the serial and par-allel interaction protocols.

The second part of the thesis concentrates on the applications of the hybrid simula-tion tool. The developed platform is first applied to conduct a detailed fault-induced de-layed voltage recovery (FIDVR) study on the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system. This study uncovers that after a normally cleared single line to ground fault at the transmission system could cause air conditioner motors to stall in the distribu-tion systems, and the motor stalling could further propagate to an unfaulted phase under certain conditions. The developed tool is also applied to simulate power systems inter-faced with HVDC systems, including classical HVDC and the new generation voltage source converter (VSC)-HVDC system.

The third part centers on the development of integrated transmission and distribution system simulation and an advanced hybrid simulation algorithm with a capability of switching from hybrid simulation mode to TS simulation. Firstly, a modeling framework suitable for integrated transmission and distribution systems is proposed. Secondly, a power flow algorithm and a diakoptics based dynamic simulation algorithm for the integrated transmission and distribution system are developed. Lastly, the EMT-TS hybrid simulation algorithm is combined with the diakoptics based dynamic simulation algorithm to realize flexible simulation mode switching to increase the simulation efficiency.

Renewable portfolio standards prescribe for penetration of high amounts of re-newable energy sources (RES) that may change the structure of existing power systems. The load growth and changes in power flow caused by RES integration may result in re-quirements of new available transmission capabilities and upgrades of existing transmis-sion paths. Construction difficulties of new transmission lines can become a problem in certain locations. The increase of transmission line thermal ratings by reconductoring using High Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) conductors is a comparatively new technology introduced to transmission expansion. A special design permits HTLS conductors to operate at high temperatures (e.g., 200oC), thereby allowing passage of higher current. The higher temperature capability increases the steady state and emergency thermal ratings of the transmission line. The main disadvantage of HTLS technology is high cost. The high cost may place special emphasis on a thorough analysis of cost to benefit of HTLS technology im-plementation. Increased transmission losses in HTLS conductors due to higher current may be a disadvantage that can reduce the attractiveness of this method. Studies described in this thesis evaluate the expenditures for transmission line re-conductoring using HTLS and the consequent benefits obtained from the potential decrease in operating cost for thermally limited transmission systems. Studies performed consider the load growth and penetration of distributed renewable energy sources according to the renewable portfolio standards for power systems. An evaluation of payback period is suggested to assess the cost to benefit ratio of HTLS upgrades. The thesis also considers the probabilistic nature of transmission upgrades. The well-known Chebyshev inequality is discussed with an application to transmission up-grades. The Chebyshev inequality is proposed to calculate minimum payback period ob-tained from the upgrades of certain transmission lines. The cost to benefit evaluation of HTLS upgrades is performed using a 225 bus equivalent of the 2012 summer peak Arizona portion of the Western Electricity Coordi-nating Council (WECC).

At present, almost 70% of the electric energy in the United States is produced utilizing fossil fuels. Combustion of fossil fuels contributes CO2 to the atmosphere, potentially exacerbating the impact on global warming. To make the electric power system (EPS) more sustainable for the future, there has been an emphasis on scaling up generation of electric energy from wind and solar resources. These resources are renewable in nature and have pollution free operation. Various states in the US have set up different goals for achieving certain amount of electrical energy to be produced from renewable resources. The Southwestern region of the United States receives significant solar radiation throughout the year. High solar radiation makes concentrated solar power and solar PV the most suitable means of renewable energy production in this region. However, the majority of the projects that are presently being developed are either residential or utility owned solar PV plants. This research explores the impact of significant PV penetration on the steady state voltage profile of the electric power transmission system. This study also identifies the impact of PV penetration on the dynamic response of the transmission system such as rotor angle stability, frequency response and voltage response after a contingency. The light load case of spring 2010 and the peak load case of summer 2018 have been considered for analyzing the impact of PV. If the impact is found to be detrimental to the normal operation of the EPS, mitigation measures have been devised and presented in the thesis. Commercially available software tools/packages such as PSLF, PSS/E, DSA Tools have been used to analyze the power network and validate the results.

Electric utilities are exploring new technologies to cope up with the in-crease in electricity demand and power transfer capabilities of transmission lines. Compact transmission lines and high phase order systems are few of the techniques which enhance the power transfer capability of transmission lines without requiring any additional right-of-way. This research work investigates the impact of compacting high voltage transmission lines and high phase order systems on the surface electric field of composite insulators, a key factor deciding service performance of insulators. The electric field analysis was done using COULOMB 9.0, a 3D software package which uses a numerical analysis technique based on Boundary Element Method (BEM). 3D models of various types of standard transmission towers used for 230 kV, 345 kV and 500 kV level were modeled with different insulators con-figurations and number of circuits. Standard tower configuration models were compacted by reducing the clearance from live parts in steps of 10%. It was found that the standard tower configuration can be compacted to 30% without violating the minimum safety clearance mandated by NESC standards. The study shows that surface electric field on insulators for few of the compact structures exceeded the maximum allowable limit even if corona rings were installed. As a part of this study, a Gaussian process model based optimization pro-gram was developed to find the optimum corona ring dimensions to limit the electric field within stipulated values. The optimization program provides the dimen-sions of corona ring, its placement from the high voltage end for a given dry arc length of insulator and system voltage. JMP, a statistical computer package and AMPL, a computer language widely used form optimization was used for optimi-zation program. The results obtained from optimization program validated the industrial standards.