Synchronized wide area communication has become a mature technology

which makes the real-time interaction between the substations and the wide area protection and control system possible. However

the present protection and control system to handle this real-time data has been recognized to be deficient. This paper begins by reviewing the development history of power system protection

with special attention paid to the recent development in the field of wide-area and integrated protections

in order to look into the future development of protection and control systems. Then the concept of integrated wide area protection and control is introduced

where it can be shown that a hierarchical protection and control system provides the protection and control for wide area or regional power substations/plants and their associated power networks. The system is mainly divided into three levels: the local

the substation/plant

and the wide area/regional. The integrated functions at each level are described in details with an aim to develop an optimal coordination mechanism between each level. The key element in the proposed system is the wide area real-time protection and control information platform

which not only enables the merger of three lines of defence for power system protection and control

but also provides a perfect tool for the application of cloud computing in substations and power networks.