A frequency stability assessment framework for renewable energy rich power grids

Abstract

The worldwide power grid is undergoing a paradigm shift due to the rise of renewable energy sources. Traditional rotating synchronous generators are being replaced by inverter-based renewable energy sources (RESs), and this trend is expected to persist in the years to come. As a result, the grid’s inertia is decreasing gradually, which presents significant obstacles to maintaining grid frequency stability. Moreover, due to the uncertainties associated with the generation of RESs and load demand, grid inertia has become a stochastic quantity. In this paper, considering the stochastic characteristics of the power generation, load demand profile and grid inertia, a framework to assess grid frequency stability with high penetration of RESs has been presented. This framework first quantifies grid frequency characteristics at different levels of RES penetration using Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS) considering the intermittent nature of RESs and load demand. This is followed by assessment of frequency stability of the power grid using proposed matrices that quantifies the amount of deviation in grid frequency and rate of change of frequency (RoCoF) outside the boundary prescribed by the grid operator. In addition, the proposed framework evaluates the sensitivity of grid frequency stability to RES penetration levels and quantifies the resiliency against contingency. Rigorous case studies on modified IEEE 39 bus test system have been presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in assessing grid frequency stability.