Distribution feeder capacity augmentation and efficiency improvement through energy storage

Abstract

The distribution feeders often get overloaded when power demand is at peak. This situation is generally countered by load shedding, which leads to financial loss to utilities and individual users. The compensation of real/reactive power not only provides the voltage profile improvement, but also ensures the sustain power to the consumers. This paper presents the new control algorithm to control the real and reactive load power demand through energy storage (ES). The efficiency function, which co-relates to the thermal limit and storage energy availability, is integrated into the feeder capacity augmentation. This control also maintains the unity power factor on the source side which ensures the relief from the reactive power support from the source. These distribution networks with available extra capacity for real power transfer are exploited up to a maximum thermal limit. The available surplus capacity can be used for more customers which justifies the additional energy storage investment. The operational features are presented through a prototype model developed in a laboratory. The financial analysis is also presented to justify the energy storage for a given distribution network.