Abstract
Recent advances in a power electronic device called an electric spring (ES) provide feasible solutions to meeting critical customers’ requirements for voltage quality. A new version of the ES was introduced based on a back-to-back converter (ESBC) configuration which extends the operating range and improves the voltage suppression performance to facilitate ultra-high renewable penetration. This paper proposes an efficient control method to facilitate the voltage regulation function of an ESBC with non-critical loads. Particularly, the proposed method is suitable for various load characteristics. We also develop a consensus algorithm to coordinate multiple ESs for maintaining critical bus voltage in distribution systems with ultra-high renewable penetration. The proposed operation of the ESBC is verified by simulation of a modified IEEE 15-bus distribution network. The results show that the ESBC can effectively regulate system voltage and is superior to the original version of the ES.
Highlights
The increasing penetration of distributed intermittent renewable generation, such as wind and solar, has significantly challenged the operation of power grid, especially at the distribution level
The ESBCs are activated at 1 s to maintain the critical bus voltage at 0.97 p.u
Due to the high penetration of variable renewable energy, we find that the critical bus voltage deviates from the desired value significantly along with the fluctuation of distributed generation output
Summary
The increasing penetration of distributed intermittent renewable generation, such as wind and solar, has significantly challenged the operation of power grid, especially at the distribution level. Due to the wear and tear on OLTCs if used too frequently, and to other constraints, it is difficult for these devices to meet the increased voltage regulation requirements caused by frequent and significant power fluctuation due to high renewable penetration. Ranamuka proposed a control method to coordinate voltage regulators and DG for voltage support and demonstrated the performance [15]. Limited by their operating constraints and ownership, most DGs are still uncontrollable for the system operator (DSO). An efficient control method is proposed to enhance the voltage regulation capability of the ES in power distribution systems with ultra high renewable penetration. Conclusions and further developments are discussed in the last section
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