The most challenging circumstance of forced oscillations (FOs) is when the power system is forced to oscillate at its natural frequencies. This paper uses a novel PMU data-driven mechanism to pinpoint the source of such phenomena under resonance. Following the detection of FOs, the instantaneous changes in the output power and angular velocity of the rotors are calculated. Accordingly, an energy-driven multilateral interaction pattern is obtained for all synchronous generators. Next, an appropriate positive weighted undirected graph is constructed through these functional patterns based on the spectral graph theory. These quantitative indicators are then analyzed through the eigenvalue spectrum of the normalized Laplacian matrix of the system graph reduced to the internal generator buses. Finally, the smallest value in eigenvectors corresponding to the two largest eigenvalues reveals the location of the source. The proposed methodology’s validation and verification studies have been performed on the WECC 3-machine 9-bus and New England 10-machine 39-bus benchmark power systems modeled in the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) and then analyzed in the MATLAB environment. The proposed methodology revealed to be fast and accurate in locating the source of FOs under challenging resonance situations with promising results while addressing the generator side origins.
