The application of demand response for frequency regulation in an islanded microgrid with high penetration of renewable generation

Abstract

Increasing the penetration of variable generation sources, such as wind and solar, potentially threatens power system stability. Past studies have shown that 15-20% renewable penetration is the largest amount the power systems can handle using conventional control. To overcome the challenge that variable renewable generation presents, this paper proposes that real-time demand response (DR) be used for ancillary services (AS). The impact of varying the amount of DR on the performance of a microgrid-configured distribution feeder is evaluated in this study. Simulation results have shown that a proper amount of DR resources can help to achieve higher penetrations of renewable generation while maintaining the desired system frequency.