Explain what a 'Wide Area Situational Awareness' tool does.

A 'Wide Area Situational Awareness' tool is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the operational status of the electrical grid over a broad geographic area. This tool integrates data from various sources to give reliability coordinators and operators the ability to monitor grid conditions, identify potential issues, and make informed decisions to maintain stability and reliability in the power system. By consolidating real-time information on system performance, including generation, transmission, and demand, the tool enhances operators' situational awareness, allowing for quicker responses to disturbances and potential outages.

The other options focus on specific aspects of energy management. Detailed reports of energy consumption typically relate to analytics on usage patterns rather than real-time grid monitoring. Predictive maintenance schedules are concerned with equipment maintenance rather than the overall operational health of the grid. Tracking real-time energy prices is important for market operations but does not encompass the broader scope of monitoring the grid’s operational status.