Provision of ramp-rate limitation from distribution networks to transmission systems as preventive action towards frequency disturbances

Abstract

The high proliferation of Converter-Interfaced Renewable Energy Sources (CIRES) poses several challenges to electric power system operators regarding frequency stability and control. Some of these issues are related with the high active power Ramp Rates (RRs) of CIRES, stemming from their inertia-less and stochastic nature. To deal with such problems, Transmission System Operators (TSOs) often commit excessive amounts of conventional spinning reserves, while in weak Transmission Systems (TSs) regulations are imposed, aiming to mitigate RRs of CIRES. Moreover, several technical studies have proposed control approaches for RR Limitation (RRL). Nevertheless, the influence of RRL on frequency quality and mainly the impact of RRL control capability of small-scale CIRES, connected to Distribution Networks (DNs), on frequency deviations have not been fully explored and quantified. To fill this gap, a detailed investigation is performed in this paper. For this purpose, simulations are conducted on a simplified System Frequency Response (SFR) model as well as on an analytical power system model. The latter is a modified version of the IEEE 9-bus Test System, consisting of three conventional Synchronous Generators (SGs) and three Medium Voltage (MV) DNs, which include CIRES equipped with SuperCapacitors (SCs), thus presenting RRL control capability. To thoroughly evaluate the impact of RRL on frequency dynamics, a set of metrics is introduced and frequency duration curves are created for various scenarios. Finally, the influence of several factors, such as the total system inertia, the RRL target value, the SC size, etc, is quantified by using the proposed indices.