Intelligent Optimized Voltage Control for Hybrid Off-Grid Power Systems

Abstract

Hybrid off-grid power systems with different renewable and non-renewable energy sources, such as wind, photovoltaics, and diesel generation, have a wide application scope in regions where grid extension is not possible. To supply quality power, hybrid off-grid power systems need proper reactive power management to deal with randomly changing load and supply. In particular, to realize dependable and quality power supply, hybrid off-grid power systems require suitable and efficient control techniques. A properly tuned controller of reactive power sources is crucial to maintain a prescribed voltage profile. Computational intelligence techniques such as particle swarm optimization can provide desired and acceptable solutions for optimization problems. In this study, we applied computational intelligent techniques for optimal control of reactive power sources, such as photovoltaic inverters and automatic voltage regulators for synchronous generators in diesel engines, to investigate dynamic voltage profile stability through reactive power management.