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This paper presents details of the practical implementation of a coordinated reactive power–voltage controller (CQVC) developed for a multi-machine steam power plant. The CQVC performs optimal coordination of the synchronous generators' reactive power outputs in order to maintain the total reactive power delivered by a steam power plant (SPP) or the voltage at a steam power plant HV busbar. This is required to achieve slow preventive control of generated reactive powers in order to maximize reactive power reserves along with slow high side voltage control. The CQVC is designed to act through existing automatic voltage regulator inputs, thus no modification of an existing excitation system was made. In order to increase the robustness to changes in operating conditions and to achieve the desired shape of the reactive power response, the two-step predictor corrector method is implemented. A newly developed algorithm for steady state detection ensures non-interference of reactive power voltage control with excitation system response. The paper also presents practical design solutions to overcome limitations posed by application to a real system. Acceptance and functional tests carried out during the commissioning of the CQVC are also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new family of universal control and management strategies for microgrids in smart distribution grids. The paper also provides a general and computationally-efficient framework for modeling and analysis of power management strategies in a microgrid with multiple-distributed generation (DG) units which eases microgrid dynamic studies and controller parameters selection in large microgrids with multiple DG units. Three different approaches for real and reactive power management are proposed. The controllers offer the following advantages: 1) the proposed topologies can be applied to both voltage-controlled (VC) and current controlled (CC) voltage source converters (VSCs). 2) The controllers are universal and realize requirements of both grid-connected and islanded modes, i.e., they share real and reactive power during islanding with constant frequency operation and act as grid supporting VSCs in the grid connected mode. 3) The drooping variables can be either power or current, thus VC-power drooping, VC-current drooping and CC-power drooping are different available variants. 4) The concept of hybrid polar-vector control is developed in this paper. Thus, it can combine the benefits of both types of controllers in one augmented strategy. 5) The controller emulates the behavior of conventional synchronous generators (SGs) which in turn results in better integration of electronically-interfaced DG units into the power system and prevents instabilities due to interaction of fast response DGs and SGs. 6) The controllers realize seamless and robust transition to the islanding mode. The controllers are developed under new concept of synchronous converters. A theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed controllers yield the aforementioned requirements in one compact structure. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Power systems are mostly run under stressed operating conditions due to rapidly increasing demand but inadequate expansion in generation and transmission capacity. Thus voltage stability has become a major concern in present day power system operation which depends on the availability and distribution of reactive power. It becomes very important to ensure the presence of sufficient amount of reactive power source in the network for secure and reliable operation of electrical power system. This paper mainly deals with short-term reactive power procurement (RPP) problem assuming an already established real power market. Contributions of this paper are three fold. First, this paper presents three new RPP methods which are formulated as optimum power flow (OPF) problems. OPFs are solved using Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm as population based stochastic solution methods are more suitable for solving reactive power optimization problem. Second, a detailed analysis of voltage stability for proposed RPP problems are performed for both normal and contingency condition to find out how these new formulations affect voltage stability. Third, proposed methods are compared with the classical RPP formulations, e.g., Minimization of L-index and loss Minimization. Finally results are reported for both test system and a large practical system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The future extensive usage of open communication networks for secondary voltage control in autonomous microgrids (MGs) inherently introduce time delays, which would degrade the system performance or even cause instability in the worst case. However, existing literatures have largely ignored these communication delays between the microgrid central controller and primary local controllers. To fill the knowledge gap, this paper proposes an analytical method to determine the stability robustness of secondary voltage control in MGs by taking into account the communication latency effect. Based on static output feedback, a closed loop small-signal model of an MG installed with proportional-integral secondary voltage controllers is first derived. Delay-dependent criteria are then formulated to detect the stability posture of MG system by tracing critical eigenvalues and cluster treatment of characteristic roots, in the forms of delay margin for a single delay and stability tableau over the delay domain for multiple delays, respectively. By a series of trial declarations, the qualitative impact of secondary controller gains on system stability regions against uncertain delays is investigated, from which it can be observed that generally the increase of integral gains would yield to a less delay-dependent stability of control system and the results can be utilized to guide the controller design for a compromise between the dynamic performance and stability robustness. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is verified by a simulation study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel agent based dynamic Volt/Var control approach is introduced, by which the voltage security (i.e., voltage profile and mid- and long-term stability) can be improved and also power loss is reduced under postdisturbance condition and in a wide-area manner. The proposed scheme employs organized multiagent system to preserve voltage magnitude of all busbars within permissible range and reduction of power losses after any disturbance through appropriate coordination of reactive power sources. To accelerate exploitation of on-load tap changers (OLTCs) as well as suppressing the possibility of encountering voltage instability which may be initiated by them, a preventive scheme based on sensitivity analysis is proposed which determines efficient number of multitap changes of OLTCs. To evaluate the effectiveness of the introduced algorithm, different scenarios have been performed in Nordic 32 test system, where the numerical results in all cases demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an adaptive voltage and frequency control method for inverter-based distributed generations (DGs) in a multi-microgrid (MMG) structure using distributed cooperative control and adaptive neural networks (ANN). First, model-based controllers are designed using the Lyapunov theory and dynamics of the inverter-based DGs. ANNs are then utilized to approximate these dynamics, resulting in an intelligent controller, which does not require a priori information about DG parameters. Also, the proposed controllers do not require the use of voltage and current proportional-integral controllers normally found in the literature. The effectiveness of the proposed controllers are verified through simulations under different scenarios on an MMG test system. Using Lyapunov analysis, it is proved that the tracking error and the neural network weights are uniformly ultimately bounded, which results in achieving superior dynamic voltage and frequency regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, transformerless (TL) inverters are being extensively used in small-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems due to their compact-size, lighter-weight, lower-cost and higher-efficiency compared to their counterpart with transformer. However, the growing penetration of these small-scale based PV systems and low-inertia induction motor (IM) loads in low-voltage distribution networks (DNs) make the grid more vulnerable to short-term voltage stability (STVS). Hence, this paper thoroughly examines the STVS of DN with high-penetration of TL-PV units, and provides countermeasures by TL-PV systems to mitigate any short-term voltage instability. The detailed dynamic model of the TL inverter is developed first. Next, three control strategies: (1) constant peak current (CPC), (2) constant active current (CAC), and (3) constant active power (CAP) with low voltage ride through (LVRT) and dynamic voltage support (DVS) capabilities are proposed to improve STVS. The impacts of different level of PV penetrations and LVRT capability of TL-PV inverters on the STVS are explored. Moreover, countermeasures, such as LVRT with CAC and CAP controls and DVS by the TL-PV systems are designed and implemented. Several case studies are carried out on an IEEE 4 bus system first, and later extended to IEEE 13 node test feeder. The results show that DVS can further improve STVS in residential DNs. In addition, CAP and CAC control strategies can speed-up the postdisturbance voltage recovery compared with the conventional CPC control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the voltage violation problem caused by high penetration of photovoltaic (PV) units in distribution power networks, this paper proposes a double-layer voltage control strategy based on the distribution network partition. By optimizing the active and reactive power outputs of PV units, the minimization objective of PV active power curtailment and network active power loss can be achieved. In the basis of community detection algorithm, a novel cluster performance index based on the electrical distance and regional voltage regulation capability is presented to partition a distribution network into several clusters. The proposed double-layer voltage control strategy combines the cluster autonomous optimization and distributed intercluster coordination optimization in different time scales. The cluster autonomous optimization can eliminate intracluster voltage violation rapidly by alternately updating the intracluster optimal solution and the virtual slack bus voltage. The distributed intercluster coordination optimization with a long-time scale is based on the alternating direction method of multipliers and realizes global optimal control through finite boundary data exchange among adjacent clusters. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method have been demonstrated via simulation tests on a real 10.5 kV feeder in China and the IEEE 123-bus system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There are more large-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants being established in rural areas due to availability of low-priced land. However, distribution grids in such areas traditionally have feeders with low X/R ratios, which makes the independent reactive power compensation method less effective on voltage regulation. Consequently, upstream step voltage regulator (SVR) may suffer from excessive tap operations with PV-induced fast voltage fluctuations. Although a battery energy storage system (BESS) can successfully smooth PV generation, frequent charge/discharge will substantially affect its cost effectiveness. In this paper, a real-time method is designed to coordinate PV inverters and BESS for voltage regulation. To keep up with fast fluctuations of PV power, this method will be executed in each 5 s control cycle. In addition, charging/discharging power of BESS is adaptively retuned by an active adjustment method in order to avoid BESS premature energy exhaustion in a long run. Finally, through a voltage margin control scheme, the upstream SVR and downstream PV inverters and BESS are coordinated for voltage regulation without any communication. This research is validated via a real-time digital simulator MatLab cosimulation platform, and it will provide valuable insights and applicable strategies to both utilities and PV owners for large-scale PV farm integration into rural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Back-to-back voltage-source converters enable Type 3 wind turbines (WTs) to operate with zero-power transfer, and this allows them to restore the system both in black-starting and stand-alone loaded stages. Therefore, this paper first identifies the prerequisites for Type 3 WTs to act as voltage-source interfaces in the case of bulk system outage and reveals their inherent deficiency for system restoration from the voltage/frequency and output power ( P–f and Q–V) relationships. These analyses provide the basic guidance for subsequent control updating. Afterwards, to allow Type 3 WTs to provide black-starting capacity, a concomitant control strategy and a restoration sequence are proposed. The uncovered P–f relationship is reinforced by self-maintained frequency control for the subsequent stand-alone loaded stage. The mechanism of frequency matching among multiple WTs is also discussed. Furthermore, a mathematical analysis for the impacts of controller parameters on the frequency characteristics of a Type 3 WTs-based stand-alone system is developed, thereby providing the guidance for control design. Eventually, a specific islanded system, merely consisting of Type 3 WTs and some passive local loads, is constructed to verify the feasibility of Type 3 WTs for system restoration and to validate the analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High penetration of renewable energy sources and the increasing share of stochastic loads require the explicit representation of uncertainty in tools such as the optimal power flow (OPF). Current approaches follow either a linearized approach or an iterative approximation of nonlinearities. This paper proposes a semidefinite relaxation of a chance-constrained AC-OPF, which is able to provide guarantees for global optimality. Using a piecewise affine policy, we can ensure tractability, accurately model large power deviations, and determine suitable corrective control policies for active power, reactive power, and voltage. We state a tractable formulation for two types of uncertainty sets. Using a scenario-based approach and making no prior assumptions about the probability distribution of the forecast errors, we obtain a robust formulation for a rectangular uncertainty set. Alternatively, assuming a Gaussian distribution of the forecast errors, we propose an analytical reformulation of the chance constraints suitable for semidefinite programming. We demonstrate the performance of our approach on the IEEE 24 and 118 bus system using realistic day-ahead forecast data and obtain tight near-global optimality guarantees. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The multi-objective reactive power coordination control model was presented in this paper to overcome the drawback that reactive power compensation devices lack in coordination and have high active power loss. In this model, the minimum bus voltage deviation and total power loss of reactive power compensation devices are taken as objective functions, by bringing the lower voltage reactors and capacitors into the static var compensator control system and considering the reactive power compensation devices interaction between different transformer substations. Due to the different sensitivity of control variables in control model and lack of the local search ability, control variables are divided into sensitive variables and non-sensitive variables. Then, the improved non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) with secondary search ability is used to search the Pareto optimal solution set. Two substations in large power grid with strong voltage coupling are coordinated in different load level. The results obtained by proposed NSGA-II algorithm can provide a variety of optimal control strategies. Compared to the conventional NSGA-II algorithm and normal boundary intersection method, the improved NSGA-II algorithm has better convergence curve and distribution of the Pareto solution sets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Higher levels of renewable electricity generation increase uncertainty in power system operation. To ensure secure system operation, new tools that account for this uncertainty are required. In this paper, we adopt a chance-constrained AC optimal power flow formulation, which guarantees that generation, power flows, and voltages remain within their bounds with a predefined probability. We then discuss different chance-constraint reformulations and solution approaches for the problem. We first describe an analytical reformulation based on partial linearization, which enables us to obtain a tractable representation of the optimization problem. We then provide an efficient algorithm based on an iterative solution scheme which alternates between solving a deterministic AC optimal power flow problem and assessing the impact of uncertainty. The flexibility of the iterative scheme enables not only scalable implementations, but also alternative chance-constraint reformulations. In particular, we suggest two sample-based reformulations that do not require any approximation or relaxation of the AC power flow equations. In a case study based on four different IEEE systems, we assess the performance of the method, and demonstrate scalability of the iterative scheme. We further show that the analytical reformulation accurately and efficiently enforces chance constraints in both in- and out-of-sample tests, and that the analytical reformulations outperforms the two alternative, sample-based chance constraint reformulations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The revised IEEE 1547 Standard together with the grid codes from several European countries require the contribution of photovoltaic inverters to the reactive power and voltage control of distribution networks. This paper presents a decentralized approach for controlling reactive power from a photovoltaic (PV) inverter through a linear decision rule that is in terms of the PV generated real power, conforming to standard characteristic curves in the German grid code. The linear decision rules are computed using an affinely adjustable robust counterpart of an optimal power flow type formulation, with the PV real power generation specified in an uncertainty interval. The robust solution, which is computed via convex quadratic programming, guarantees that both the voltage deviations and power loss will remain within their optimized bounds for all realizations of PV real power sampled from the uncertainty set. The proposed linear decision rules are compared with a local control method that seeks the same type of multiobjective optimization. Monte Carlo simulation results on meshed distribution networks with up to 830 nodes show the superiority of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the fact that the location(s) and structural properties of the pinning node(s) affect the algebraic connectivity of a network with respect to the reference value, and thereby its dynamic performance, this paper studies the application of single and multiple pinning of distributed cooperative secondary control of distributed generators (DGs) in an islanded microgrid operation. It is shown that the selection of a pinning set based on the degree of connectivity and distance of leader DG(s) from the rest of the network improves the transient performance for microgrid voltage and frequency regulation. The efficacy of the distributed control strategy based on the proposed algorithms is illustrated via numerical results simulating typical scenarios for a variety of microgrid configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a voltage control problem in power distribution grids. The specific goal is that of keeping the voltages within preassigned operating limits by commanding the reactive power output of the microgenerators connected to the grid. We propose three strategies. The first two strategies are purely local, meaning that each microgenerator updates the amount of reactive power to be injected based only on local measurements of the voltages’ magnitude. Instead the third one is distributed, namely, the microgenerators, to perform the updating steps, require some additional information coming from the neighboring agents. The local strategies are simpler to be implemented, but they might fail in solving the voltage control problem. Instead, the distributed one requires the microgenerators to be endowed with communication capabilities, but it is effective in driving the voltages within the admissible intervals and, additionally, it exploits the cooperation among the agents to reach also a power losses minimization objective. Theoretical analysis and extensive numerical simulations are provided to confirm the arguments aforementioned. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Conventional VAR compensation devices such as capacitor banks and synchronous condensers, after long periods of service, have become aged and less effective to satisfy stringent requirement of short-term voltage stability in high-level wind power penetrated power systems. STATCOMs with a rapid and dynamic reactive power support capability can be an ideal alternative, when combined with a proper equipment retirement and upgrades scheme. This paper proposes a systematic approach for optimal dynamic VAR resource planning and upgrading for a power system with increased wind power penetration and equipment retirement. The problem is constituted by two parts that are aged equipment retirement and new equipment placement. A multiobjective optimization model is proposed to minimize three objectives: the cost of retirement and upgrades, the index of proximity to steady-state voltage collapse, and the index of transient voltage unaccepted performance. To simulate real-world operating situation, multiple contingencies and uncertain dynamic load models are taken into account. Furthermore, low- and high-voltage ride through abilities for wind farms are modeled. The proposed model is tested on the New England 39-bus test system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Renewable distributed generation (DG) is likely to be actively controlled in future distribution networks to mitigate voltage issues resulting from high penetrations. This requires understanding the corresponding dependencies between voltage magnitudes and DG active/reactive power outputs. One approach to compute these dependencies is to use classical sensitivity methods such as those based on the Jacobian matrix inverse. However, updating the latter involves extensive remote monitoring. This paper presents a novel approach to produce voltage sensitivities applying the surface fitting technique on data based solely on the knowledge of network characteristics; making it suitable for decentralized DG control. To assess the benefits, comparisons with classical methods are carried out using the 16-bus UK GDS test network (1-min resolution simulations) considering a decentralized voltage control algorithm that simultaneously caters for the active and reactive power outputs of a single DG plant. The robustness of the proposed approach is also investigated considering changes in network parameters. Finally, the use of coordinated time delays is proposed to cater for multiple DG plants. Comparisons with a centralized optimization demonstrate that the combined use of the proposed voltage sensitivity approach and decentralized control algorithm is an effective and implementable candidate to actively manage renewable DG plants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Estimation-based indirect dc-voltage control in MMCs interacts with circulating current control methods. This paper proposes an estimation-based indirect dc-voltage control method for MMC-HVDC systems and analyzes its performance compared to alternative estimations. The interactions between estimation-based indirect dc-voltage control and circulating current control methods, active/reactive power regulation are also investigated. The proposed method delivers similar performance to measurement-based direct dc-voltage control, regardless of the circulating current control method. Steady-state and transient performance is demonstrated using a benchmark MMC-HVDC transmission system, implemented in a real-time digital simulator. The results verify the theoretical evaluations and illustrate the operation and performance of the proposed indirect dc-voltage control method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In emerging distribution systems with a proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs) and flexible demand assets, operation characters of the unbalance network and voltage regulation devices need to be accurately addressed for ensuring the secure and economic operation. This paper focuses on the modeling and solution approach of AC optimal power flow (ACOPF) for unbalanced distribution systems with DERs and voltage regulation transformers (VRT). The ACOPF problem is formulated as a chordal relaxation based semidefinite programming (SDP) model, and a tighter convexification model of VRTs is proposed for mitigating solution inexactness. Analytical conditions are presented and proved to determine whether global optimal solution to the original ACOPF problem can be retrieved from solutions of the chordal relaxation based SDP model. Numerical studies on modified IEEE 34-bus and 8500-node systems show that the proposed approach presents a better computational performance as compared to rank relaxation based SDP approaches and general nonlinear solvers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Collective control of distributed energy resources (DER)—such as photovoltaic (PV) inverters or battery storage—have the potential to provide regulation services to the bulk electric grid. While optimal power flow techniques may be used to coordinate DER for this purpose, these approaches typically rely on accurate network models and a large number of system measurements. In this paper, we consider an approach that alleviates these modeling and measurement requirements. Here, we consider a two-dimensional adaptive control scheme known as extremum seeking, or ES, to perform optimization without knowledge of a model of the distribution network. We apply this scheme to enable simultaneous feeder head active power and voltage magnitude reference tracking, as well as feeder voltage regulation. From the perspective of the transmission grid, this approach essentially transforms the distribution feeder into a controllable (P,V) bus. Simulation results confirm the ability of the approach to track substation real power and voltage reference signals while maintaining distribution system voltages within acceptable tolerances. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we propose a novel coordinated control framework to handle negative voltage impacts caused by wind power in a weak subtransmission system. The designed controller addresses the problem of optimal coordination of controls with different response time and control characteristics. In our control design, the traditional voltage regulators (TVRs) such as on-load tap changers and capacitors are primarily used to regulate voltages in the network. If the control actions of TVRs cannot meet the control requirements, an event-triggered load-side aggregate controller will be activated immediately to help regulate voltages. The control schedules of TVRs are calculated through a multitime-step optimization-based model-predictive control method and are updated with the help of wind power predictions. The load-side controller is realized by controlling active power consumptions of load aggregators through an optimal distributed algorithm that relies on local information exchanges between neighboring load aggregators. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is tested through a case study on a modified IEEE 30-bus test system with high penetration of wind power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper introduces a multistage coordinated planning method for active distribution networks (ADN). The proposed methodology optimizes, in a coordinated manner, multiple planning alternatives, i.e., reinforcement of the existing substations and distribution lines, network expansion, as well as capacitor and voltage regulator placement in conjunction with the active management of distributed generation (DG). The active management considers the control of the active and reactive power output of the DG units. The proposed multistage coordinated planning methodology aims at minimizing the net present value of the network investment cost. To handle the high complexity of the planning problem, two successive planning procedures are developed. First, the location and capacity of the multiple planning alternatives are computed incorporating the active management of DG. Afterwards, using a heuristic approach, the time period for the commissioning of the computed network investments along the planning period is defined. To validate its effectiveness and performance, the proposed method is applied to a 24-bus distribution test system and a real-world 267-bus distribution system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Transient stability and short-term voltage stability have successively attracted the attention of electric power industry. This paper proposes a novel systematic approach for dynamic VAR planning to improve short-term voltage stability level and transient stability level. The dynamic VAR planning problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimization (MOO) model with objectives including investment cost, short-term voltage stability level, and transient stability level. To reduce the complexity of the proposed MOO model, K-means clustering-based severe contingencies selection and global sensitivity analysis-based potential buses selection are employed, leading to a simplified MOO model. The combination of a surrogate modeling technique called support vector regression and the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) are then used to solve the simplified MOO model, considering both the accuracy of models and the optimization computation cost. This combination makes it feasible to perform multiple runs of MOEAs for weakening the effect of the MOEA's randomness to optimal results and offering more diverse Pareto-optimal solutions for decision makers. Simulations are carried on the IEEE 39-bus system and a real power grid of China, illustrating that our methodology is reliable with high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Voltage instability occurs when a power system is unable to meet the reactive power demand, and is typically corrected by switching on additional reactive power devices such as capacitor banks. Real-time monitoring and communication technologies can potentially improve voltage stability by enabling the rapid detection of low voltages and the implementation of corrective actions. These corrective actions, however, will only be effective in restoring stability if they are chosen in a timely, scalable manner. In this paper, we propose a submodular optimization approach for designing a control strategy that prevents voltage instability. Our key insight is that the voltage deviation from the desired level is a supermodular function of the set of reactive power injections that are employed, leading to computationally efficient control algorithms for stabilization with provable optimality guarantees. This submodular control framework is tested on the IEEE 300-bus transmission system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Due to high power in-feed from photovoltaics, it can be expected that more battery systems will be installed in the distribution grid in near future to mitigate voltage violations and thermal line and transformer overloading. In this paper, we present a two-stage centralized model predictive control scheme for distributed battery storage that consists of a scheduling entity and a real-time control entity. To guarantee secure grid operation, we solve a robust multi-period optimal power flow (OPF) for the scheduling stage that minimizes battery degradation and maximizes photovoltaic utilization subject to grid constraints. The real-time controller solves a real-time OPF taking into account storage allocation profiles from the scheduler, a detailed battery model, and real-time measurements. To reduce the computational complexity of the controllers, we present a linearized OPF that approximates the nonlinear AC-OPF into a linear programming problem. Through a case study, we show, for two different battery technologies, that we can substantially reduce battery degradation when we incorporate a battery degradation model. A further finding is that we can reduce battery losses by 30% by using the detailed battery model in the real-time control stage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) for damping of subsynchronous interaction (SSI) in doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind farms. The proposed LQR controller employs a full-state observer to estimate all state variables. The output of the LQR is added to control signals of inner current control loops of DFIG converters as supplementary control signals. The supplementary control signals are dynamically limited to avoid saturating the converters and to provide the DFIG with the desired transient response against power system faults. The proposed SSI damping controller is designed for a realistic series compensated wind farm, and its performance is verified using electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations. The EMT simulations are performed using a detailed DFIG model which includes all nonlinearities and all required transient functions to meet the grid code requirements corresponding to fault-ride-through (FRT). The results show that the proposed SSI controller is able to significantly mitigate the oscillations due to the SSI phenomenon, and to provide excellent transient response against systems faults. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a multi-timescale coordinated stochastic voltage/var control method for high renewable-penetrated distribution networks. It aims to utilize multiple devices to counteract uncertain voltage fluctuation and deviation. In the hourly timescale (first stage), capacitor banks and transformer tap changers are scheduled before stochastic renewable output and load variations are realized. In the 15-min timescale (second stage), inverters that interface the renewable energy resources provide var support to supplement the first-stage decision after uncertainty is observed. The coordination is model as a two-stage stochastic programming problem with scenario reduction. It is then converted to a deterministic mixed-integer quadratic programming equivalence model and solved by commercial solvers combined. Compared with existing methods, the proposed volt/var control can achieve lower expected energy loss and can sustain a secure voltage level under random load demand and renewable power injection. The proposed method is verified on the IEEE 33-bus distribution network and compared with existing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The dynamics of load, especially induction motors, are the driving force for short-term voltage stability (STVS) problems. In this paper, the equivalent rotation speed of motors is identified online and its recovery time is estimated next to realize an emergency-demand-response (EDR) based under speed load shedding (USLS) scheme to improve STVS. The proposed scheme consists of an EDR program and two regular stages (RSs). In the EDR program, contracted load is used as a fast-response resource rather than the last defense. The estimated recovery time (ERT) is used as the triggering signal for the EDR program. In the RSs, the amount of load to be shed at each bus is determined according to the assigned weights based on ERTs. Case studies on a practical power system in China Southern Power Grid have validated the performance of the proposed USLS scheme under various contingency scenarios. The utilization of EDR resources and the adaptive distribution of shedding amount in RSs guarantee faster voltage recovery. Therefore, USLS offers a new and more effective approach compared with existing under voltage load shedding to improve STVS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The distributed secondary control in a microgrid can be used for complementing the function of the primary droop-based control. However, its dynamic performance may be undesirable and furthermore it may introduce new less-damped modes to the system leading to oscillatory responses. Unfortunately, mechanism analysis of the undesirable dynamic performance and the possible oscillations, and more importantly, stabilization of the microgrid with the distributed secondary control have not been reported. To fill this gap, this paper first develops a unified small-signal dynamic model of the microgrid. Based on the developed model, a small-signal stability analysis is utilized to perform the aforementioned mechanism analysis. A distributed optimal controller is thereafter proposed to enhance the system stability and improve the system dynamic performance. The distributed optimal controller can coordinate multiple distributed generation units in the microgrid and exhibits robust performance under a wide range of operating conditions. Finally, theoretical analysis and time-domain simulation results on a benchmark microgrid system are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a method for real-time active network management (ANM) control to maximize network-wide energy yield in constrained networks. Coordinated scheduling of renewable distributed generation (DG) and distribution network control assets can limit DG curtailment and significantly increase energy yield and economic performance of DG. Here, an optimal power flow approach has been developed for real-time online scheduling of network control settings to better integrate high levels of temporally and spatially variable DG from renewable energy resources. Results show that the real-time prescription of ANM control settings provides a feasible alternative to network reinforcement under the existing passive management philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new control strategy for the reactive-power injections of voltage-source converters (VSCs) in high-voltage direct-current multi-terminal systems to improve power system transient stability. A reactive-power supplementary signal is provided for each converter. Its value is proportional to the frequency deviation of its corresponding AC bus with respect to the weighed-average frequency of the multi-terminal system stations. The purpose is to increase (decrease) the electromagnetic torque of generators close to those terminals, in which the frequency is above (below) the weighed-average frequency used. The AC frequency for all VSC stations is always available locally for synchronization purposes and could be used by a central controller. Simulations have been carried out using PSS/E, and the results have shown that transient stability can be improved using this strategy. Since this approach uses global measurements of all VSC stations, the impact of the communication delays has been analyzed, concluding that the negative effect is small, for realistic latency values. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper identifies when the transmission network local hosting capacity for a wind harvesting network may be limited because of steady-state bus voltage limits. In addition, the paper addresses how with the wind farm voltage control provision, such constraints may be overcome and the local hosting capacity can be increased. To answer these questions, actual Spanish system data is used on different network models of increasing complexity. Firstly, a simplified model of both transmission network and harvesting network is discussed to show that generally, only buses with low short-circuit power and low or high reactance-resistance ratio may limit local hosting capacity significantly. Secondly, in order to assess how modeling simplifications affect the results, the full model of an actual Spanish harvesting network is considered: the real reactive capability of the harvesting network at the transmission network connection node is computed and the local hosting capacity recalculated. Finally, in the last step, the results of the aforementioned simplified models are validated using the complete model of the Spanish transmission network. In addition, a complementary area hosting capacity analysis is included in order to show the importance of steady-state bus voltage constraints when large amounts of power need to be transported over long distances. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

P-f and Q-V droop methods are the most common decentralized control methods in islanded microgrid. Although with the P-f droop method, an accurate active power sharing can be achieved among distributed energy resources (DERs), by Q-V droop, the reactive power sharing among DERs often deteriorates due to its highly dependence on the power line impedances and the local load. Variation of frequency and voltage by load changes is another challenge in droop control method. In this paper, a new autonomous control method is proposed to share reactive power among DERs accurately and restore frequency of a microgrid. The proposed method does not require any communication link and so maintains reliability and simplicity of the network. The synchronizing among DERs is obtained by the load change detection, which is accomplished by wavelet transform. The method operation principle is explained and analyzed. Simulation results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel solution to the optimal reactive power dispatch (ORPD) problem is proposed. The nonlinearity of the power flow equations is handled by a new successive linear approximation approach. For the voltage magnitude terms, a mathematical transformation that improves the accuracy and facilitates the linear modeling of shunt capacitors is used. Without loss of accuracy, the load tap changers and shunt capacitors are both modeled by linear constraints using discrete variables, which facilitates the linearly constrained mixed-integer formulation of the proposed ORPD model. An efficient iterative solving algorithm is introduced. The obtained solution strictly satisfies the power flow equations. Case studies on several IEEE benchmark systems show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently provide near-optimal solutions with the error of the objective functions of less than 0.1%. Compared with several commercial solvers, the proposed method shows distinct advantages in terms of both robustness and efficiency. Moreover, based on the round-off results, a heuristic method that reduces the optimization ranges of the discrete control variables is proposed. This method can further improve the computational efficiency with small losses in accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage stability requires the continuing control of the total system's supply of reactive power during emergency situation. The supply of reactive power, however, can be curtailed by the action of rotor overcurrent protection or overexcitation limiter (OEL) in reducing the rotating unit reactive power output. Practical heat run tests shows that the timing of the activation of the OEL can be very conservative, resulting in earlier than necessary operation and system voltage collapse. Significant benefit can be achieved if the timing of the OEL activation can be delayed, while ensuring sufficient margin is provided to avoid harming the rotor of the synchronous generator. This paper proposes a new thermal-based method to determine the timing of the OEL activation that is based on the thermal capacity of the rotor as the main indicator for limiting the excitation level of the synchronous generator. The proposed thermal-based method is validated using the extensive simulations of a single-machine and the Nordic power system. Simulation studies show that the system voltage collapse can be delayed significantly by delaying the OEL activation without compromising the thermal capacity of the rotor if the proposed OEL setting is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an automatic voltage control (AVC) system for power systems with limited continuous voltage control capability. The objective is to minimize the operational cost over a period, which consists of the power loss in the grid, the shunt switching cost, the transformer tap change cost, and the generator reactive power output cost. The problem is formulated in a multi-stage optimal reactive power flow (MORPF) framework, solved by the nonlinear programming techniques via a rolling process. The voltage uncertainty caused by wind power forecasting errors is considered in the optimal voltage/var dispatch by including a security margin in the voltage magnitude constraints. The robustness of the MORPF solution considering the voltage security margin is therefore improved. A platform is built for the offline investigations, employing the measurement data from the Danish national electricity control center, where study cases based on the western Danish power system demonstrate the superiority of the proposed AVC system in term of the cost minimization. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to verify the proposed method on the robustness improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that traditional line-commutated converter (LCC) based high voltage direct current (HVDC) system is not able to control its reactive power and terminal AC voltages. This paper investigates the reactive power and AC voltage control at the inverter side of the LCC HVDC system with controllable capacitors. The system's ability of operating under negative extinction angle is utilized to achieve a wide range of reactive power control and, in particular, the ability of exporting reactive power. In connection with the inverter AC terminal voltage or reactive power control, among different control possibilities at the rectifier side, active power control is desirable since large variations of active power transfer is very unfavorable. Detailed theoretical analysis is carried out first to show the reactive power controllability, and the capacitor voltage level is selected based on the desired control range. In addition, a new extinction angle measurement approach is proposed for negative extinction angle measurements. The effectiveness of the reactive power/voltage control capability for the proposed system is validated through simulation results using Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS). To verify the effectiveness of the reactive power and voltage control, CCC HVDC and LCC HVDC with SVC are also set up in RTDS, and simulation comparisons are made. Furthermore, contribution to AC voltage control in power system using the proposed method is demonstrated through simulation results of the modified two-area four-machine AC power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the positive sequence modeling of converter-based sources in commercial transient stability analysis software. A simple and computationally economical model of the converter has been developed while ensuring a reliable representation of the detailed converter behavior. This model has been implemented as a user defined model in commercial positive sequence software such as PSLF. The behavior of the proposed model in positive sequence has the same form as the behavior obtained from detailed point on wave simulation. Tests have been carried out on a three-generator nine-bus equivalent system and the 18,205 bus Western Electricity Coordinating Council system to assess the impact and performance of the converters. The behavior of these converter interfaced generation sources for various system contingencies has been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new and general frame-of-reference for dynamic solutions of multi-terminal VSC-HVDC systems using the Newton-Raphson method. Three VSC dynamic models are derived to conform to each pairing AC sub-network—the slack converter whose aim is to control its DC voltage, the scheduled-power converter which injects a scheduled amount of power and the passive converter which is connected to an AC network with no frequency control equipment. Each VSC unit makes provisions for the phase reactor, AC filter, DC capacitor, DC smoothing inductor and LTC transformer. The VSC itself is a positive-sequence lumped-type model whose core elements are a phase-shifting transformer and an equivalent shunt susceptance which account for the phase-shifting and scaling nature of the PWM control. In turn, the DC side of each pairing VSC unit is linked to a DC system of an arbitrary configuration. All this enables the assembly of any number of VSCs, giving rise to a comprehensive formulation of multi-terminal VSC-HVDC systems. The prowess of the proposed multi-terminal dynamic model is demonstrated by carrying out a comparison against the widely-used EMT-type package Simulink, using a three terminal VSC-HVDC system, with very good results. Furthermore, a six-terminal VSC-HVDC system forming a DC ring is used to show the applicability of the proposed unified approach when solving multi-terminal VSC-HVDC links for system-wide dynamic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The discrete coordinate-descent algorithm is a practical approach that is currently used in centralized Volt/VAr Control (VVC) implementations, mainly due to its good performance and speed for real-time applications. Its viability is however challenged by the increasing number of distributed generation that contribute to the VVC solution, in addition to the conventional transformer taps and switched capacitors. This paper presents the exact computation of sensitivity factors that speed up the discrete coordinate-descent implementation, by significantly reducing the number of forward/backward substitutions in the current injection power flow method; the speed up is achieved without affecting the control setting quality of the original implementation. The optimality of the discrete coordinate-descent solutions is investigated by computing the gaps relative to mixed-integer linear programming set-points, derived from a polyhedral reformulation of the VVC problem. The sensitivity-based discrete coordinate-descent algorithm is tested starting from two initial points, the default one given by the current control set-points, and a continuous solution obtained from a linear approximation of the VVC problem. Numerical results on networks with up to 3145 nodes show that the sensitivity-based approach significantly improves the runtime of the discrete coordinate-descent algorithm, and that the linear programming initialization leads to VVC solutions with gaps relative to the mixed-integer set-points that are less than 0.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the distribution management system (DMS), an essential application for the energy efficiency improvement is loss reduction. Loss reduction often involves the control of reactive power (var) resources to optimize the var flow in the network. Traditionally, most available var resources in the distribution network have been switchable shunt capacitor banks. Today distributed energy resources (DER) are becoming another significant var resource due to their increasing penetration, which brings new opportunities as well as challenges for loss reduction. This paper proposes an advanced loss reduction approach to achieve the optimal control coordination among multiple capacitors and DERs. The proposed approach and solution are developed on the basis of the detailed multi-phase distribution network modeling and the state-of-the-art optimization technology. This work also investigates the impact of the DER var control on the loss reduction improvement and voltage violation correction. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on practical utility distribution circuits with varying degree of unbalance and model complexity. The performance of the solution method proves the capability of online solution speed for large and complex distribution systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we propose a method to optimally set the reactive power contributions of distributed energy resources (DERs) present in distribution systems with the goal of regulating bus voltages. For the case when the network is balanced, we use the branch power flow modeling approach for radial power systems to formulate an optimal power flow (OPF) problem. Then, we leverage properties of the system operating conditions to relax certain nonlinear terms of this OPF, which results in a convex quadratic program (QP). To efficiently solve this QP, we propose a distributed algorithm based on the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM). Furthermore, we include the unbalanced three-phase formulation to extend the ideas introduced for the balanced network case. We present several case studies to demonstrate the method in unbalanced three-phase distribution systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a decentralized emergency control approach for preventing voltage instability by controlling the reactive power and voltage of the system. The proposed control algorithm is based on a distributed architecture of intelligent agents to identify the affected region and to activate timely countermeasures to achieve a fast and accurate response. By dividing the network into several areas, the voltage instability problem can be localized and countermeasures can be directed to the most affected area by the authorized local agent. This facilitates quick decision making within the system. To achieve effective voltage and reactive power support, a sensitivity based zone formation is proposed. The Nordic32 74-bus test system has been used for testing the proposed multi-agent emergency control (MAEC). The results from the case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MAEC approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a tractable and scalable algorithm to identify and analyze bifurcation points of a large-scale power system model, which are directly related to dynamic voltage instability problems. Different types of bifurcations are analyzed, including: saddle-node (fold), Hopf, singularity-induced and limit-induced. An algorithm that combines optimization and predictor-corrector procedure is proposed for equilibrium tracing. The algorithm is based on calculation of only critical (rightmost and closest-to-zero) eigenvalues. The proposed algorithm is extended to the case of dynamic voltage stability assessment for power systems with optimized topology (simultaneously subjected to the topology control changes and generation re-dispatch). The proposed approach is illustrated on two (medium- and large-scale real-world) test power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To make better use of local generators' dynamic var reserve to improve short-term voltage stability (STVS), this paper proposes an integrated high side var-voltage control (IHSV^2C) for power plants in receiving-end power systems. The IHSV^2C consists of a plant-level multi-machine var coordinator (MMVC) and several unit-level high side voltage controllers (HSVCs). MMVC coordinates the reactive power output among generators and provides control parameters for HSVCs, while HSVCs can maintain the voltage of a pre-defined voltage control point (VCP) by regulating the voltage reference of the excitation control of each generator. Therefore, when the system suffers a serious fault, IHSV^2C can drive the generators to provide stronger var support. Consequently, the voltage stability can be improved. A conceptual model of the receiving-end power system in China Southern Power Grid (CSG) is established, and the IHSV^2C has been validated through a simulation analysis on the system. Both time-domain simulation results and the voltage sag severity index (VSSI) have fully demonstrated its performance. Therefore IHSV^2C offers a new and effective approach to improve STVS of receiving-end power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a planning framework to find the minimum storage sizes (power and energy) at multiple locations in distribution networks to reduce curtailment from renewable distributed generation (DG), specifically wind farms, while managing congestion and voltages. A two-stage iterative process is adopted in this framework. The first stage uses a multi-period AC optimal power flow (OPF) across the studied horizon to obtain initial storage sizes considering hourly wind and load profiles. The second stage adopts a high granularity minute-by-minute control driven by a mono-period bi-level AC OPF to tune the first-stage storage sizes according to the actual curtailment. Congestion and voltages are managed through the optimal control of storage (active and reactive power), on-load tap changers (OLTCs), DG power factor, and DG curtailment as last resort. The proposed storage planning framework is applied to a real 33-kV network from the North West of England over one week. The results highlight that by embedding high granularity control aspects into planning, it is possible to more accurately size storage facilities. Moreover, intelligent management of further flexibility (i.e., OLTCs, storage, and DG power factor control) can lead to much smaller storage capacities. This, however, depends on the required level of curtailment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on data available from phase measurement units (PMUs), this paper proposes an energy margin constrained online coordinated voltage control (CVC) algorithm. First, the energy function model is established, which is based on detailed device models that include the effects of shunt capacitor banks, reactive power output of generators and under-load-tap-changers (ULTCs). In order to improve the computational efficiency, a Lie derivative-based method is used to map the energy change into the system trajectory along the energy manifold. Then, the change of energy margin based on the Lie derivative is used as the objective function and the reactive power margin is used as a constraint to formulate a linear programming problem. A coordinated strategy is proposed to help achieve the optimal solution when the linear programming problem is solved. In comparison with the other control modes, the proposed method improves the stability margin and the control effectiveness of voltage profile. Numerical results are provided for a three-machine system, the IEEE-30 bus system and the New England-39 bus benchmark system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework for the coordination of distributed energy resources (DERs) and demand response (DR) for voltage and frequency support of islanded microgrids. The proposed method basically relies on extracting information from real and reactive power sensitivities at different buses for minimizing the voltage and frequency deviations of the islanded microgrid. To this aim, a new power flow procedure is adopted in which the frequency deviation appears as an additional state variable. This helps to calculate the required setpoints for the DERs as well as the amount of the demanded power curtailed through the controllable loads to meet the overall goal. The loads are classified based on their a-priori known controllability degree. To minimize the manipulated load, the most effective buses are selected based on their associated sensitivity values. In the grid-connected mode, the total operation cost is minimized, while the microgrid bus voltages are maintained within the pre-specified acceptable range. In both modes, the whole process is formulated as a multiobjective problem solved by the particle swarm optimization (PSO). The control procedure involves a series of commands for which the incident command system (ICS) is used as a secure communication structure. The performance of the proposed control framework is evaluated for the case of a typical MV microgrid in both grid-connected and islanded modes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we propose a frequency and voltage control strategy for a standalone microgrid with high penetration of intermittent renewable generation systems, which might cause large frequency and voltage deviation in the system due to unpredictable output power fluctuations. To this end, a battery energy storage system (BESS) is suggested for generating the nominal system frequency instead of a synchronous generator, from a frequency control perspective. This makes the system frequency independent of the mechanical inertia of the synchronous generator. However, a BESS has a capacity limitation; a synchronous generator is used to maintain the state of charge (SOC) of the BESS at a certain value. For voltage control, we proposed that a reactive power/active power (Q/P) droop control be added to the conventional reactive power controller. By adding a Q/P droop control, renewable generation acquires a voltage-damping effect, which dramatically alleviates the voltage fluctuation induced by its own output power fluctuation. Simulation results prove the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy from both frequency and voltage control perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]