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The work reported in this paper aims at developing an algorithm for system operators to solve a robust security-constrained AC optimal power flow (R-SC-ACOPF) problem, which also optimizes the settings of discrete controllers including load tap changers (LTCs) and shunt capacitor banks (SCBs). An iterative algorithm involving a master problem and a number of sub-problems is proposed. The master problem selects the optimal discrete controllers’ settings by taking into account primal SC-ACOPF constraints based on the single-component worst contingencies identified by the sub-problems. Each sub-problem is a bi-level max-min problem used to find the current worst contingency. The overall objective is to minimize the total cost, including generation and load shedding cost, while satisfying all relevant constraints. The master problem and sub-problems allow representing LTC tap positions, SCB status, and contingencies using binary variables. Two case studies are presented as applications of this novel technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern power grid features the high penetration of power converters, which widely employ a phase-locked loop (PLL) for grid synchronization. However, it has been pointed out that PLL can give rise to small-signal instabilities under weak grid conditions. This problem can be potentially resolved by operating the converters in grid-forming mode, namely, without using a PLL. Nonetheless, it has not been theoretically revealed how the placement of grid-forming converters enhances the small-signal stability of power systems integrated with large-scale PLL-based converters. This paper aims at filling this gap. Based on matrix perturbation theory, we explicitly demonstrate that the placement of grid-forming converters is equivalent to increasing the power grid strength and thus improving the small-signal stability of PLL-based converters. Furthermore, we investigate the optimal locations to place grid-forming converters by increasing the smallest eigenvalue of the weighted and Kron-reduced Laplacian matrix of the power network. The analysis in this paper is validated through high-fidelity simulation studies on a modified two-area test system and a modified 39-bus test system. This paper potentially lays the foundation for understanding the interaction between PLL-based (i.e., grid-following) converters and grid-forming converters, and coordinating their placements in future converter-dominated power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the inverter-based generation replaces the conventional synchronous generators, it may also need to fill in the missing ancillary service support. One of these ancillary services is dynamic reactive power provision and voltage control. This paper analyzes optimal strategy of reactive and active fault-current support of the inverter-based generation leading to fast voltage recovery of the system. For the purpose of the analysis, new ramping active current controller able to emulate different behavior of active current injection is proposed. By optimizing its parameters for different case studies of the system, the conclusions about optimal behavior of the inverter based generation with respect to system parameters and operating conditions are drawn. It is observed that the optimal combination of active and reactive fault-current is the most sensitive to the dynamic load component penetration levels in the system. With the increasing penetration levels, the significance of active fault-current injection increases. The results show that with higher penetration levels of dynamic load component in the heavy load areas, the ramping down of the inverter-based generation active fault-current results in slower voltage recovery of the system. Following this conclusion, a recommendation on update of current European grid codes is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a control scheme to improve the dynamic response of power systems through the automatic regulators of converter-based Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). In this scheme, both active and reactive power control of DERs are varied to regulate both frequency and voltage, as opposed to current practice where frequency and voltage controllers are decoupled. To assess the proposed control against the current state-of-art, the paper also defines a metric that captures the combined effect of frequency/voltage response at any given bus of the network. Results indicate that the proposed control strategy leads to a significant improvement in the stability and performance of the overall power system. These results are based on a comprehensive case study carried out by employing a modified version of the IEEE 39-bus benchmark system, where a portion of the synchronous machines is substituted by converter-interfaced DERs. The impact on the proposed control of load models, the $R/X$ ratio of network lines, as well as the level of DER penetration to the grid, are properly evaluated and conclusions are duly drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an optimization approach for day-ahead reactive power planning to improve voltage security in transmission networks. The problem is formulated as a voltage-secure multi-period optimal reactive power dispatch (MP-ORPD) problem. The optimization approach searches for optimal set-points of dynamic and static reactive power (var) resources. Specifically, the output includes set-points for switching shunts, transformer taps, and voltage magnitudes at the regulated buses. The primary goal is to maximize the dynamic reactive power reserve of the system, by minimizing the reactive power supplied by synchronous generators. As the size of the MP-ORPD problem increases significantly with increasing number of contingencies and time periods, efficiency is crucial for practical applications. In this paper, a decomposition technique based on consensus and alternating optimization, where integer variable targets are obtained via MILP, is used to partition the MP-ORPD problem into a set of subproblems, which can be solved in parallel to reduce the computation time. The proposed MP-ORPD problem and its solution algorithm are integrated into the EPRI-VCA software. The results of various power networks of large electric utilities in the Eastern interconnection demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in providing preventive control schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Hybrid AC/DC microgrid (MG) can integrate distributed generation sources and distributed loads on the AC and DC side of the MG by eliminating many unnecessary power conversion devices, which is more flexible and efficient. However, to achieve reliable and economic operation of a hybrid AC/DC MG is challenging due to its complex structure. In this paper, a novel distributed event-triggered hierarchical control strategy is proposed to improve the economic operation of a hybrid AC/DC MG. For the primary control, distributed local controls of AC DGs, DC DGs, and interlinking converters (ICs) are realized by adopting the droop control method. For the secondary control, the distributed economic dispatch, distributed average bus voltage discovery, and distributed proportional power-sharing algorithms are first proposed; then, control objectives of voltage and frequency restoration and economic operation of the hybrid AC/DC MG are realized based upon the developed algorithms. Furthermore, the distributed secondary control is built upon an event-triggered mechanism developed in this paper, which can reduce the communication burden. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microgrid's voltage regulation is of particular importance during both grid-connected and islanded modes of operation. Especially, during the islanded mode, when the support from the upstream grid is lost, stable voltage regulation is vital for the reliable operation of critical loads. This paper proposes a robust and data-driven control approach for secondary voltage control of AC microgrids in the presence of uncertainties. To this end, unfalsified adaptive control (UAC) is utilized to select the best stabilizing controller from a set of pre-designed controllers with the minimum knowledge required from the microgrid. Two microgrid test systems are simulated in MATLAB to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method under different scenarios like load change and communication link failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commutation failure (CF) is the most common fault in line-commutated high voltage direct current (LCC-HVDC) systems that may lead to the transient overvoltage in the sending-side system. In the worst condition, the CF may lead to large-scale wind turbine tripping. To resolve this problem, the mathematical relationship between the reactive power consumed by the rectifier and DC voltage, DC current is derived. Then, a transient overvoltage calculation method is proposed in this paper. Furthermore, the mechanism of transient overvoltage caused by the CF is analyzed; it is revealed that the reason for three times transient overvoltage is the rapid decrease of the reactive power consumed by the rectifier during the CF and the recovery period from the CF. This paper proposes a constant reactive power control (CRPC) to inhibit transient overvoltage of the sending-side AC system. The proposed CRPC can increase the reactive power consumed by the rectifier, reduce the exchange reactive power between AC and DC systems, and suppress the transient overvoltage. A simulation model in PSCAD serves to verify the proposed CRPC on the transient overvoltage suppression in the situation of different fault types, fault duration, fault severity and short circuit ratio (SCR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel inertia-enhanced distributed control method to complement the inertia of microgrids. The rate of change of frequency (RoCoF) and the rate of change of voltage (RoCoV) are employed in this paper to quantify the frequency inertia and voltage inertia, respectively. Then, a fully distributed algorithm with constrained changing rates is proposed. By bounding the changing rates of frequency and voltage during the consensus control, the algorithm can address the consensus problem while enhancing the inertia of microgrids. Compared with most inertia control methods, the proposed method can utilize the reserve power of scattered DGs to supply inertia. Besides, it performs better under disturbances and delays than conventional distributed control methods. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by several cases in MATLAB/Simulation and a hardware experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volt-VAR optimization (VVO) has been investigated extensively in power systems. However, under the era of integrated energy systems (IES), the growing interdependencies between different energy systems complicate traditional VVO. This is further hardened by incurred gas quality problems due to the hydrogen injection in IES, produced by widely applied power-to-gas (P2G) facilitates that couple between power and gas systems. This paper develops a two-stage volt-VAR-pressure optimization (VVPO) model for PV-penetrated IES to manage the variation of system voltages while managing gas quality indices. In addition to the traditional voltage regulating devices, P2G facilities, which can mitigate fluctuating PV output via converting the surplus generation into hydrogen, are also used for voltage management. A two-stage distributionally robust optimization (DRO) based on moment information is utilized to model PV uncertainty. A semidefinite programming model is formulated and finally solved by the constraint generation algorithm. A 33-bus-20-node IES is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed VVPO on voltage management, ensured gas quality with high economic efficiency. The proposed VVPO is applicable to injecting other green gases into gas systems while ensuring power quality and enable system operators to provide low-cost but high-quality multi-energy to customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for controlling the voltage of inverter-based Microgrids by proposing a new scale-free distributed cooperative controller. The main contribution of this paper is that the proposed distributed cooperative controller is scale-free where is independent of any information about the communication system and the number of distributed generators, as such it works for any Microgrids with any size. Moreover, the communication network is modeled by a general time-varying graph which enhances the resilience of the proposed protocol against communication link failure, data packet loss, and arbitrarily fast plug and play operation in the presence of arbitrarily finite communication delays as the protocol does not require the knowledge of the upper bound on the delay. The stability analysis of the proposed protocol is provided. The proposed method is simulated on the CIGRE medium voltage Microgrid test system. The simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scale-free distributed nonlinear protocol for regulating voltage of Microgrids in the presence of communication failures, data packet loss, noise, and degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper introduces the concept of complex frequency. The imaginary part of the complex frequency is the variation with respect of a synchronous reference of the local bus frequency as commonly defined in power system studies. The real part is defined based on the variation of the voltage magnitude. The latter term is crucial for the correct interpretation and analysis of the variation of the frequency at each bus of the network. The paper also develops a set of differential equations that describe the link between complex powers and complex frequencies at network buses in transient conditions. No simplifications are assumed except for the usual approximations of the models utilized for the transient stability analysis of power systems. A variety of analytical and numerical examples show the applications and potentials of the proposed concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network partition in complex power networks is essential for the var-voltage control. Traditional partition methods such as Ward method are applied in practical power networks, but they are unable to evaluate the quality of partition results. Moreover, they lack efficiency when dealing with large-scale networks. Since complex operation characteristics and topology have emerged in recent power systems, the power grid partition requires higher efficiency and quality. Therefore, this paper proposes a fast network partition method with a balanced-depth-based community detection algorithm. Its aim is to significantly improve the efficiency of partition while maintaining high quality of partition, with which the inter-zone coupling is minimized while the intra-zone coupling is maximized. In the meantime, a surrogate-optimization-based selection algorithm is proposed to select the zonal pilot bus, based on which the secondary voltage control method is used to evaluate the quality of partition. Results from four case studies conducted in various power networks with different sizes, as compared to other partition methods, validate the high efficiency and high quality of the proposed power grid partition approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper establishes an instantaneous voltage model to illustrate the dynamic characteristics of grid voltage in electromagnetic time scale affected by power-electronic interfaced voltage regulatory devices with two typical categories of control systems, i.e., power-current cascading control and power synchronization control, exemplified by the STATCOM and virtual synchronous condenser (VSCON) respectively. In this paper, a linearized instantaneous voltage model is firstly established to analyze the impact paths of control loops in the STATCOM and VSCON. Based on the model, the dynamic process of grid voltage is divided into three stages. Various factors on the dynamic process of grid voltage are analyzed, especially cascading control loops prior to the functioning of AC voltage control. Moreover, stiffness characteristic is proposed to evaluate the effects of power electronic interfaced voltage regulatory devices with different control structures. In addition, the effectiveness of the stiffness compensation based on the VSCON is validated by the study cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Truck-mounted mobile emergency resources (MERs) play a significant role in microgrid formation and regulation for power system resilience enhancement. This paper proposes a distributed fixed-time secondary control (DFSC) scheme to regulate the frequency and active power sharing in islanded microgrids with MERs. The proposed DFSC scheme is designed based on a general directed communication graph which considers MER characteristics (e.g., mobility, flexibility, and potential cyber threats). Each DER receives data from its neighbors through directional communication links. The proposed pinning control strategy selects only a small number of DERs for pinning, which have access to the reference frequency information and would guide the operation of remaining local DERs and MERs. In addition, the guaranteed convergence time is determined by control parameters and communication graph without applying the initial operation states. The paper demonstrates that the desired control performances (i.e., frequency restoration and accurate active power sharing) are realized in a timely fashion considering frequent operations of MERs. Case studies are tested and discussed for load variations, different control parameters, communication link failures, and MER operations through time-domain simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes synchronous generator self-excitation during power system restoration, caused by a large capacitive load and the impact of generator voltage control on the voltage rise. The paper analyzes measurements from a recent self-excitation incident in the Finnish 400-kV transmission system, models the system using an electromagnetic transient model and a linear d-axis generator model, validates the models using the measurements and analyzes the impact of generator voltage control during self-excitation. Self-excitation is rare during a normal system operation but may occur in a weak system during system restoration after a blackout. Since high voltages caused by the self-excitation may delay the restoration or even damage the equipment, self-excitation should be taken into account in restoration planning. This paper shows that the voltage controller and especially the under-excitation limiter settings of the generator have significant impact on the voltage during self-excitation. This paper also shows that details in the excitation system response influence the simulations significantly and reference measurements from the specific generator are required for detailed modeling. However, all measured incidents with digital static excitation systems are important references for simulations. In addition, special attention should be given to protection relays during the restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droop control is a viable method for the operation of island DC microgrids in a decentralized architecture. This paper presents a mixed-integer conic optimization formulation for the design of generator droop control, comprising the parameters of a piecewise linear droop curve. The mixed-integer formulation originates from a stochastic optimization framework that considers several operating scenarios for finding the optimal design. The convexity of the mixed-integer problem continuous relaxation gives global optimality guarantees for the design problem. The paper presents computational results using a tight polyhedral approximation of the conic program, leading to a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem that is solved using a state-of-the-art commercial solver. The results from the proposed approach are contrasted with both a classic linear droop control design and a recent piecewise linear formulation. The Monte-Carlo simulation results quantify the extent to which the MILP solution is superior in reducing voltage violations and power loss, and the degree to which the loss is close to that from a conic optimal power flow solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many power systems, the increased penetration of inverter-based renewable generation will cause a decrease in kinetic energy storage, leading to higher frequency excursions after a power disturbance. This is the case of the future Nordic Power System (NPS). The look-ahead study reported in this paper shows that the chosen units participating in Frequency Containment Reserves (FCR) cannot keep the frequency above the prescribed threshold following the outage of the largest plant. This analysis relies on a detailed model of the Northern European grid. The latter is compared to the classical single-mass equivalent, and the impact of voltage-dependent loads is assessed in some detail. Next, the paper focuses on emergency power control of the HVDC links that connect the NPS to the rest of the European grid, which can supplement or even replace part of the FCR. The proper tuning of that control is discussed. Finally, the analysis is extended to the HVDC links connecting the future North Sea Wind Power Hub under two configurations, namely low and zero inertia. The impact of outages in the latter sub-system is also assessed. The material to simulate the system with industrial software is made publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unified power flow controller (UPFC) gains growing application in power systems due to its power flow regulation ability. However, there is still a dilemma in the incorporation of UPFC into security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED). The modeling of UPFC involves nonlinear and nonconvex operational constraints, which is difficult to solve efficiently and accurately. Conventional methods adopted Taylor expansion or sensitivity analysis to realize the convexification of UPFC models, which leads to a loop structure and is subject to initial point choice. In this paper, a novel three-terminal injected UPFC model is proposed. In the proposed model, the voltage source variables are eliminated completely. Instead, only power injection variables are introduced to equivalently describe physical characteristics and constraints of UPFC. The nonlinear and nonconvex operational constraints of UPFC are transformed into mixed integer second-order cone form. Moreover, compared with conventional UPFC models, the control characteristic of UPFC is considered in a more accurate and practical manner in the proposed SCED, which helps to prevent potential risks of power flow over-limit under N-1 contingencies. Simulation results show the effectiveness and efficiency of the established solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide variety of inverter control settings for solar photovoltaics (PV) causes the accurate knowledge of these settings to be difficult to obtain in practice. This paper addresses the problem of determining inverter reactive power control settings from net load advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) data. The estimation is first cast as fitting parameterized control curves. We argue for an intuitive and practical approach to preprocess the AMI data, which exposes the setting to be extracted. We then develop a more general approach with a data-driven reactive power disaggregation algorithm, reframing the problem as a maximum likelihood estimation for the native load reactive power. These methods form the first approach for reconstructing reactive power control settings of solar PV inverters from net load data. The constrained curve fitting algorithm is tested on 701 loads with behind-the-meter (BTM) PV systems with identical control settings. The settings are accurately reconstructed with mean absolute percentage errors between 0.425% and 2.870%. The disaggregation-based approach is then tested on 451 loads with variable BTM PV control settings. Different configurations of this algorithm reconstruct the PV inverter reactive power timeseries with root mean squared errors between 0.173 and 0.198 kVAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the principles of distribution locational marginal pricing (DLMP) to unbalanced three-phase distribution networks. We first propose a linear model for AC optimal power flow derived through a series of approximation and reformulation techniques. Then a scenario-generation algorithm is proposed to properly model the uncertain parameters in the linear model. Through a proposed No U-Turn sampler (NUTS) based algorithm, probability density functions (PDFs) of DLMPs are calculated. These PDFs provide statistical information about the locational and temporal price risks. By means of applications to two IEEE unbalanced test networks, the numerical results show promising performance for the proposed linear model and the NUTS-based algorithm in creating PDFs of DLMPs. DLMP price densities will be increasingly useful as distribution system operators seek flexible, low risk solutions from embedded generators and aggregators of distributed energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage regulation and proper load-sharing are two main control objectives of DC microgrids which the consensus-based secondary control can be regarded as a feasible approach to achieve them. Using this approach, in addition to the stable voltage regulation, the load is shared according to the nominal potential of the distributed generation units. Nevertheless, the conventional consensus-based secondary control uses the time-triggered communication paradigm that leads to a high communication burden due to transmitting and receiving unnecessary data. In this paper, to prevent excessive data-exchanging, the mentioned approach is upgraded with a novel event-triggered scheme. The system stability analysis under the suggested event-triggered secondary controller is assessed using the Lyapunov theorem. Furthermore, the Zeno-freeness feature of the proposed solution is mathematically proved after assessing uniformly ultimately bounded stability and extracting the current per-unit and voltage derivatives dynamic as the consensus algorithm’s external inputs. The proposed approach is applied to a DC microgrid, and its performance is validated under different scenarios using Simulink/MATLAB environment. Moreover, the experimental tests prove the merits of the suggested method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the dynamic voltage support (DVS) from inverter-based resources (IBRs) under voltage sags to enhance the low-voltage ride-through performance. The DVS problem is formulated as a nonconvex optimization program that maximizes the positive-sequence voltage magnitude at the point of common coupling (PCC) subject to the current, active power, and synchronization stability constraints. Then, we perform the optimality analysis to explore the global optimum analytically. It is found that the unique global optimum has three scenarios/stages (S1–S3), which depends on the specific relationship among grid voltage, grid strength, and physical limits of IBRs. The explicit closed-form solutions in S1 and S3 are derived, and the optimality conditions (an implicit solution) of S2 are provided, which guarantees the global optimality and enables the compatibility with fast real-time control. Finally, we implement the optimum with a grid-connected single-stage photovoltaic (PV) power plant by integrating a DVS controller. Dynamic simulations are carried out under different scenarios to test our proposal. The robustness against model errors is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric distribution grid operations typically rely on both centralized optimization and local non-optimal control techniques. As an alternative, distribution system operational practices can consider distributed optimization techniques that leverage communications among various neighboring agents to achieve optimal operation. With the rapidly increasing integration of distributed energy resources (DERs), distributed optimization algorithms are growing in importance due to their potential advantages in scalability, flexibility, privacy, and robustness relative to centralized optimization. Implementation of distributed optimization offers multiple challenges and also opportunities. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the recent advancements in distributed optimization for electric distribution systems and classifications using key attributes. Problem formulations and distributed optimization algorithms are provided for example use cases, including volt/var control, market clearing process, loss minimization, and conservation voltage reduction. Finally, this paper also presents future research needs for the applicability of distributed optimization algorithms in the distribution system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel hierarchical cooperative control strategy to solve the problems of unbalanced State of Charge (SoC), unreasonable load current sharing, and unstable bus voltage for battery storage system (BSS) in islanded DC microgrid. In the communication layer, a neighbor-to-neighbor communication network architecture is constructed in which each battery storage unit (BSU) only communicates information with neighboring nodes, and a multi-agent consensus algorithm is used to iteratively estimate the relevant average global variables. In the main control layer, the droop coefficient is dynamically adjusted by constructing a fast SoC convergence function to ensure that the load current is reasonably distributed based on the rated capacity of each BSU. In the secondary control layer, a virtual voltage drop equalization controller and an average bus voltage compensation controller are designed to eliminate the impact of line impedance mismatch and compensate the average bus voltage. Furthermore, an optimized factor is designed to accelerate the later stage of SoC convergence. Finally, a DC microgrid experimental platform based on StarSim HIL is built, and the results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can achieve the control objectives of fast SoC balance, proportional load current sharing, and bus voltage stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern photovoltaic inverter has an active power-reactive power (Watt-VAr) control curve that is part of its management modes. The Watt-VAr curve, whose settings can be remotely modified, regulates the inverter reactive power output in function of its active power. This paper proposes the optimization of inverter segregated linear decision rules (LDRs), starting from the legacy Volt-VAr optimization in distribution networks. As opposed to classical LDRs that are interfaced with Volt-VAr optimization, the segregated LDRs are piecewise linear continuous curves that directly satisfy the reactive power capability of inverters, and their multiple segments can capture the correlation in solar power variability. The paper presents linear programming formulations for optimizing the segregated linear decision rules using stochastic optimization, robust optimization, and distributionally robust optimization. The optimization schemes are demonstrated on both meshed and radial networks, and their performance is validated via Monte-Carlo simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a novel two-stage coordinated volt-pressure optimization (VPO) for integrated energy systems (IES) networked with energy hubs considering renewable energy sources. The promising power-to-gas (P2G) facilities are used for improving the interdependency of the IES. The proposed VPO contains the traditional volt-VAR optimization functionality to mitigate the voltage deviation while ensuring a satisfying gas quality due to the hydrogen mixture. In addition to the conventional voltage regulating devices, i.e., on-load tap changers and capacitor banks, P2G converter and gas storage are used to address the voltage fluctuation problem caused by renewable penetration. Moreover, an effective two-stage distributionally robust optimization (DRO) based on Wasserstein metric is utilized to capture the renewable uncertainty with tractable robust counterpart reformulations. The Wasserstein-metric based ambiguity set enables to provide additional flexibility hedging against renewable uncertainty. Extensive case studies are conducted in a modified IEEE 33-bus system connected with a 20-node gas system. The proposed VPO provides a voltage-regulated economic operation scheme with gas quality ensured that contributes to high-quality but low-cost multi-energy supply to customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new control strategy for enhancing the dc voltage regulation and the transient response in the multi-terminal VSC-HVDC system by ensuring swift power-sharing among converters when encountering large disturbance such as converter loss or ac fault at one of the converter stations. The quick power sharing can be realized using direct power control (DPC) since it has a merit of fast power dynamic response. On the other hand, to limit the converter current during ac fault, a new coordination strategy between DPC and vector current control (VCC) is proposed. Furthermore, a new simplified model of the MTDC system is developed to study the performance of DPC in enhancing the dc voltage dynamics response analytically. The time-domain simulation of the detailed model of the four converter stations MTDC system verify that the proposed control strategy significantly reduces the overshoot in the transient dc voltage response following an outage or ac fault. As a result, together with the droop gain selection for the maximum permissible steady-state dc voltage deviation, the proposed control strategy can help to reduce the size of the dc chopper in the MTDC grid or even avoiding it. Moreover, the comparative analysis based on time-domain simulation depicts that the proposed simplified model has the same dc voltage response compared to the detailed model of the MTDC system except for a steady-state error of 0.47% and a little bit longer settling time (1.5 ms) at transient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power systems are undergoing fundamental changes with increasing penetration of renewable energies. A reactive power ancillary service market is of significance to incentivize private providers, such as thermal power units and renewable power plants (RPPs), to participate in maintaining voltage security. Because of the local nature of reactive power, one of the recognized issues is that monopolistic participants may have great market power and strategically manipulate their costs. To pursue economic efficiency, this paper proposes an incentive-compatible mechanism based on Vickery-Clarke-Groves (VCG) auctions for the day-ahead reactive power ancillary service market. The obligations of reactive power ancillary service are quantified in the VCG-based market mechanism. Depending on the expected performance of participants compared with the corresponding obligations, payments are obtained for thermal power units, RPPs, and loads. Hence, providers have the incentive to declare their true costs and undertake obligations. Furthermore, a scarcity price is employed to reward the provision of scarce reactive power resources and ensure reliable market clearing. The proposed mechanism is illustrated using the IEEE 24-bus and 118-bus systems. The results verify the effectiveness of the proposed mechanism. Moreover, high rewards or penalties are observed for voltage weak areas, thereby inducing appropriate investments in reactive power capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel distributed control strategy addressing a (feasible) psycho-social-physical welfare problem in islanded Direct Current (DC) smart grids is proposed. Firstly, we formulate a (convex) optimization problem that allows prosumers to share current with each other, taking into account the technical and physical aspects and constraints of the grid (e.g., stability, safety), as well as psycho-social factors (i.e., prosumers’ personal values). Secondly, we design a controller whose (unforced) dynamics represent the continuous time primal-dual dynamics of the considered optimization problem. Thirdly, a passive interconnection between the physical grid and the controller is presented. Global asymptotic convergence of the closed-loop system to the desired steady-state is proved and simulations based on collected data on psycho-social aspects illustrate and confirm the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To uncover the mechanism by which voltage-dependent loads (VDLs) influence electromechanical dynamics, this paper mathematically deduces the damping torque induced by VDLs based on a single machine infinite bus system. Moreover, by continuously regulating the terminal voltage of a typical large-scale VDL, i.e., the aluminum electrolysis load, this paper proposes a novel load damping control architecture to dynamically modulate the power consumption of controlled loads so as to eliminate interarea oscillations in power systems. Specifically, the decentralized load damping controllers (LDCs) used in this architecture are designed by a proposed multistage mixed ${{{H}}_{2}} / {{{H}}_\infty }$ control approach to guarantee robustness against uncertainties (e.g., tie-line outages and wind generation fluctuations) as well as to ensure reasonable control efforts of controlled VDLs. Simulation results on the modified New England and New York interconnected system validate the method for analysis of VDLs’ effects on interarea oscillations and show the proposed load damping control strategy can satisfactorily damp interarea oscillations over multiple operating points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of reactive power exchange between grids of different voltage levels has always been a concern for system operators. With production moving from the transmission to the distribution level, its importance increases. This paper proposes a novel approach to estimate reactive power capability of the grid as a whole. A linearized analytical model for an estimation of available reactive power exchange at the interface between two grids has been developed. The maximum estimation error for the scenarios we tested was only 2%. The model gives the relation between important grid parameters and the supported reactive power. The conclusions drawn from the model are confirmed on typical Swedish distribution network with scattered wind power and small industry consumers. Common scenarios in development of distribution grids are applied to show relevant parameters influence. One studied scenario is replacement of overhead lines with cables. It is shown that this particular change enhances the reactive power capability of the grid which is directly seen from the analytical analysis without running any optimal power flow. The analytical model proposed in this paper gives fundamental understanding of the reactive power capability of radial distribution grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-terminal High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) using Voltage Source Converters (VSC-HVDC) is a promising technology which provides flexible control of active and reactive power and facilitates remote renewable energy integration, above all using long cables. This paper analyses an active power control strategy for multi-terminal VSC-HVDC systems tailored to enhance transient stability of hybrid AC/DC grids. The proposed strategy controls each VSC using frequency measurements of all terminals. Its performance is compared to a strategy in which each VSC is controlled using only local frequency measurements of the AC side, proving that the proposed strategy shows better performance, even taking into account reasonable communication delays. The paper also shows that the proposed strategy generally gives similar results to those obtained when each VSC is controlled using the speed of the centre of inertia (COI). The speed of the COI is a more comprehensive and richer figure than the one proposed in this paper but it is also much more complex to obtain. Simulation results with PSS/E of a test system have been used to illustrate the comparisons and the main contributions of the proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper summarizes simulation based technical feasibility and cost benefit analyses of a range of off-the-shelf electrical losses reduction intervention solutions in the Isle of Wight (IoW) 11 kV distribution network in the United Kingdom (UK), assessed over a period of 45 years. Based on presented results, the paper provides a brief commentary on the merits, drawbacks, risks and recommendations associated with each considered network intervention. Among considered network interventions, the transformer auto stop-start scheme, where one of the transformers among a pair at a primary substation would be switched depending on the substation's varying load, was found to be the optimal solution, i.e., in reducing technical losses significantly and may also have a reasonable Net Present Value (NPV) with a good rate of Return on Investment (RoI) when fully implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Volt/VAr Optimization (VVO) is becoming increasingly crucial in distribution management systems with renewable sources that require setting their reactive power in coordination with legacy voltage and reactive power control devices. This paper presents a VVO method that operates in complex variables based on the Wirtinger calculus; it employs a penalty method that keeps voltage magnitudes and controller parameters within limits together with a probabilistic rounding technique for handling switched device variables. The complex variable implementation permits using the compensation technique when solving the Karush-Kuhn Tucker (KKT) system, thus achieving a significant speedup due to limiting the number of linear system factorizations. The proposed method is contrasted with a classical VVO implementation employing discrete coordinate search from the current operating point and an enhanced version that uses sensitivity information. Numerical results on distribution networks having up to 3147 nodes show that the proposed method is significantly faster than classical methods and gives operating points free of voltage magnitude violations and lower power loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of power systems can largely limit the power transfer capability limit of transmission lines. The PV generator control is different from synchronous generator control. The impact of PV generator dynamics on the power transfer limit constrained by stability is not well explored in the literature. This paper focuses on improving the stability constrained power transfer capability limit of transmission lines emanating from PV generators. The PV generator is provided with dc link voltage and reactive power control and is equipped with low voltage ride through capability, voltage and frequency support functionalities. In this paper, Lyapunov function analysis based adaptive tuning laws are proposed for PV control parameters to improve the power transfer capability limit (constrained by stability) of transmission lines connecting PV generators to grid. The tuning laws are proposed for Phase Locked Loop (PLL), outer and inner control loop parameters. The proposed tuning laws have inherent robustness towards faults, changes in solar irradiation, changes in grid topology, network impedances, generation and loads in the system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated on a Single PV-Synchronous Machine system, modified IEEE-39 and IEEE-118 bus system. The performance of the proposed method is investigated considering various disturbances such as symmetrical and asymmetrical faults on transmission line, switching of a transmission line and change in solar irradiation of PV. Comparison with existing method shows that the proposed tuning method can achieve higher power transfer capability limit considering stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the crucial interface of renewable energy integration, the grid-tied inverter is a complicated system with a multi-timescale feature, containing both fast dynamics and slow dynamics that determine the system stability. However, previous researches on stability analysis mainly focus on the slow dynamics without considering the impact of fast dynamics, which may bring to inaccurate stability prediction. In this paper, the impact of fast dynamics on stability is investigated for grid-tied inverter from a physical perspective. Considering the dynamics of the current control loop and network, a two degrees-of-freedom oscillator model is firstly established to extract the fast dynamics separately. The damping torque analysis is then applied to analyze the impact of the extracted fast dynamics on the damping and spring coefficients of slow dynamics. Moreover, based on the fast dynamic analysis, a novel reduced-order model is proposed with the consideration of the dominant characteristics of fast dynamics, which improves the model accuracy without increasing the complexity. Eventually, both numerical evaluations and experiments are performed to validate the proposed analysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC grid has become an important application in power transmission. However, the exist works only have the method to obtain the droop coefficient in a radial topology. Also, this droop coefficient is for V-I droop control. There is no such like method to obtain the droop coefficient for the P-V droop control. This paper proposed a new method for a complex dc grid to obtain the droop coefficients. Firstly, based on the converter control strategies, the types of converter were classified. It will help to find out which kinds of converter can be participated into the dc-side voltage control. Secondly, a virtual node was defined, and the matrix of the dc grid was reshaped to fit the new added virtual node by using the proposed simplification method. An example was shown how this method worked. After that a new method of calculating the P-V droop coefficient was proposed. Finally, a simulation model was investigated to verify if the proposed method can operate in a real system. The results showed that the simplification method can ensure the mathematical relationships of the dc system. And simulations show good performances of the droop coefficient calculation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel real-time adaptive under voltage load shedding (UVLS) method by using optimized fuzzy logic controllers to address fault-induced delayed voltage recovery (FIDVR) and short-term voltage instability (STVIS) problems. An intelligent multi-input multi-output fuzzy logic load shedding controller is developed based on a short-term voltage recovery criterion (STVRC). For the controller, the magnitude deviation and the recovery time deviation of voltage trajectory are extracted as inputs, while the load shedding amount at the current load shedding stage and the time delay of the next stage are taken as outputs. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique is further employed for the tuning of the controller parameters to realize the voltage recovery requirement at the lowest cost of load shedding. The proposed UVLS method is formed by a group of the fuzzy logic controllers deployed at the load buses, each monitoring its own bus voltage and shedding load in closed-loop. Responding to the severity of voltage variations, the proposed method is able to adaptively determine the location, time and amount of load shedding in real-time to make the voltage satisfy the STVRC. The effectiveness of the proposed method compared to other methods is testified by simulations on the Nordic test system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs), located at the Distribution System Operator (DSO) level, bring new opportunities as well as new challenges to the operations within the grid, specifically, when it comes to the interaction with the Transmission System Operator (TSO). To enable interoperability, while ensuring higher flexibility and cost-efficiency, DSOs and the TSO need to be efficiently coordinated. Difficulties behind creating such TSO-DSO coordination include the combinatorial nature of the operational planning problem involved at the transmission level as well as the nonlinearity of AC power flow within both systems. These considerations significantly increase the complexity even under the deterministic setting. In this paper, a deterministic TSO-DSO operational planning coordination problem is considered and a novel decomposition and coordination approach is developed. Within the new method, the problem is decomposed into TSO and DSO subproblems, which are efficiently coordinated by updating Lagrangian multipliers. The nonlinearities at the TSO level caused by AC power flow constraints are resolved through a dynamic linearization while guaranteeing feasibility through “ $l_1-$ proximal” terms. Numerical results based on the coordination of the 118-bus TSO system with up to 32 DSO 34-bus systems indicate that the method efficiently overcomes the computational difficulties of the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an efficient multi-agent deep reinforcement learning algorithm for cooperative controls in powergrids. Specifically, we consider the decentralized inverter-based secondary voltage control problem in distributed generators (DGs), which is first formulated as a cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) problem. We then propose a novel on-policy MARL algorithm, PowerNet, in which each agent (DG) learns a control policy based on (sub-)global reward but local states and encoded communication messages from its neighbors. Motivated by the fact that a local control from one agent has limited impact on agents distant from it, we exploit a novel spatial discount factor to reduce the effect from remote agents, to expedite the training process and improve scalability. Furthermore, a differentiable, learning-based communication protocol is employed to foster the collaborations among neighboring agents. In addition, to mitigate the effects of system uncertainty and random noise introduced during on-policy learning, we utilize an action smoothing factor to stabilize the policy execution. To facilitate training and evaluation, we develop PGSim, an efficient, high-fidelity powergrid simulation platform. Experimental results in two microgrid setups show that the developed PowerNet outperforms the conventional model-based control method, as well as several state-of-the-art MARL algorithms. The decentralized learning scheme and high sample efficiency also make it viable to large-scale power grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate load modeling is critical for credible power system stability analysis. Because of the increasing complexity in modern system load, establishing a more comprehensive load model and performing accurate parameter estimation are the two biggest challenges in composite load modeling. In this paper, an induction motor with variable frequency drive (IM-VFD) together with the traditional ZIP+IM model is utilized to describe the dynamic characteristics of the system load. We estimate the time-varying probabilistic distributions of all states and parameters to describe their stochastic characteristics, thereby representing the real-time varying features of an actual load. The Fokker-Planck operator is applied to linearize the updated load model in tensor format. We then use tensor decomposition to reduce the computational and storage costs for calculating load model parameters. A sensitivity indicator is used to analyze the sensitivities of the estimated parameter distributions for subsequent model reduction. Simulations demonstrate that the updated load model has better performance than the traditional ZIP+IM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the theoretical foundation and practical implementation aspects of Fractional Order Controllers (FOCs) for power system applications. With this aim, the paper provides a comprehensive mathematical background on the stability analysis of dynamic systems with inclusion of fractional order derivatives and discusses their software implementation based on the Oustaloup's Recursive Approximation (ORA) method. Then the paper illustrates a variety of examples of ORA-based FOCs, namely, automatic generation control of synchronous machines; frequency control of a converter-interfaced energy storage system; and voltage control through a static synchronous compensator. The WSCC 9-bus test system and a realistic 1,479-bus model of the Irish transmission system are employed to test and compare the examined FOCs with their integer-order versions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second part of a two-part paper on a new adaptive coordinated voltage control (ACVC) strategy. The overall basic scheme and the online control for prepared faults have been presented in Part I. In this paper, learning control is explored to accumulate knowledge, so that the online control performances can be improved for unknown emergencies. For unknown situations where no past experiences can be exploited, a learning scheme is used by which the control knowledge can be acquired gradually. The learnt knowledge goes into the database and is improved the next time a related situation happens. After full knowledge is acquired, the unknown fault becomes a prepared fault with prepared knowledge. With the learning scheme, control for any emergency can be realized in a rapid and effective response. The learning process is demonstrated by providing control for an unknown emergency in the New England 39-bus power system. The ACVC performance for a sequence of randomly generated fault and load event emergencies is presented at the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on the knowledge accumulated off-line and feature extractions, a novel data-based learning and control method is proposed for the long-term voltage stability problem in this paper. All the spatial-temporal data is considered and the features of different emergency events are extracted by principle component analysis which can reduce the dimension and reveal the significant internal structure of the data. An artificial neural network is used to build a classifier to reinforce the relationship directly between the system dynamics and optimal control actions. With the prepared control knowledge, it is faster to find an optimal control action online with a good system performance. Simulation results on the 6-bus system, New England 39-bus system and Iceland 189-bus system are given to show the potential of this method for on-line control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel distributed voltage control method for multi-terminal direct current (MTDC) systems based on the average consensus algorithm. The proposed method combines the idea of secondary integral voltage control and regulator synchronization problem. It realizes adjustable tradeoff between two conflicting control objectives, that is, voltage regulation and power sharing. The proposed control algorithm only needs a low-bandwidth communication between two adjacent voltage source converters (VSCs) and local information to work effectively. Moreover, regarding the system dynamic response, a parameter tuning method for the proposed controller is provided to achieve the fastest convergence of the distributed control algorithm. This paper also develops a small-signal dynamic model for VSC-MTDC systems with distributed controllers to evaluate the system dynamic performance. The proposed method is validated by time-domain simulation of a 4-terminal VSC-MTDC system. The simulation results show that flexible tradeoff between voltage regulation and power sharing can be achieved under necessary constraints on the DC bus voltages and power sharing ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper emphasizes the importance of including unbalanced distribution systems for voltage stability studies in power systems. The paper aims to: discuss the various simulation methods for power system analysis; highlight the need for modeling unbalanced distribution system for accurate load margin assessment; demonstrate the influence of net-load unbalance (NLU) on voltage stability margin (VSM). We also share a T&D co-simulation interface with commercial power system solvers. The distribution system is evolving rapidly with high proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs); these are not guaranteed to proliferate in a balanced manner and uncertainty resulting due to these DERs is well acknowledged. These uncertainties cannot be captured or visualized without representing the distribution system in detail along with the transmission system. We show the impact of proliferation of DERs in various 3-phase proportions on voltage stability margin through T&D co-simulation. We also study the impact of volt/VAR control on voltage stability margin. This analysis is only possible by representing the distribution system in detail through T&D co-simulation. Higher percentage of net-load unbalance (NLU) in distribution system aggravates the voltage stability margin of the distribution system, which can further negatively influence the overall voltage stability margin of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a distributed voltage control in power distribution networks through reactive power compensation. The proposed control can operate in a distributed fashion where each bus makes its decision based on local voltage measurements and communication with neighboring buses, always satisfy the reactive power capacity constraint, drive the voltage magnitude into an acceptable range, and minimize an operational cost. We also perform various numerical case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the controller using the nonlinear power flow model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Load-damping characteristic models the load response to the frequency deviation, which has important impact on system frequency response. The load-damping coefficient is normally considered as a constant, obtained from operational experiences in large-scale power systems or from detailed load models in isolated power systems. An industrial isolated power system for aluminum production driven by coal-fired power and large scale wind power is studied in this paper. Since the electrolytic aluminum load is driven by direct current, it is one type of voltage-sensitive load and does not respond to the frequency deviation. This paper proposes a load-damping characteristic control method for such isolated industrial power system with voltage-sensitive load. To decrease the maximum frequency deviation during transient process, a time-varying load-damping coefficient control scheme is presented. Simulation is done on real-time digital simulator (RTDS) and the results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an improved corrective security constrained optimal power flow (CSCOPF) for a meshed AC/DC power transmission network with voltage source converter based multi-terminal HVDC (VSC-MTDC) grids. The security constrains of N-1 contingencies for both AC and DC networks are fully considered in the CSCOPF problem. The corrective actions employed in this paper include not only the traditional long-term rescheduling control actions of the AC system, but also the short term post-contingency fast corrective control of multi-terminal VSC-HVDC. A hybrid method is developed to solve the improved CSCOPF problem and the effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated and demonstrated in this paper by two example meshed AC/DC power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]