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Representing a major technology toward the proliferation of sustainable energy resources, droop controlled microgrids have attracted numerous modeling approaches with a view to improving their operation and applicability. Acknowledging the low inertia of distributed generators and the network characteristics at the distribution level, this paper proposes a reduced order model for inter-inverter oscillations in autonomous droop controlled microgrids. At first, a simplified equivalent network on the basis of Kron reduction is suggested as an effective topology for the study of inter-inverter oscillating currents. The focus shifts toward low-frequency modes following the detailed small signal model and its simplification according to the singular perturbation theory with multiple time scales. Assuming accurate and instantaneous tracking of the voltage by the inner controllers on their local reference frame, the quasi steady state study results in a simple closed-loop model. This model is successfully benchmarked against the detailed model and other germane models over the full range of operational damping ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of power flow analysis for microgrids has gained importance where several methods have been proposed to solve these problems. However, these schemes are complicated and not easy to implement due to the absence of a slack bus as well as the dependence of the power on frequency as a result of the droop characteristics. This paper proposes simple and effective modifications to the conventional method (Newton Raphson) to compute the power flow for microgrids. The presented method provides a simple, easy to implement, and accurate approach to solve the power flow equations for microgrids. The proposed method is applied to two test systems: a 6-bus system and a 38-bus system. The results are compared against simulation results from PSCAD/EMTDC which validate the effectiveness of the developed method. The proposed technique can be easily integrated in current commercially available power system software and can be applied for power system studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is known that the choice of gain ( K ) in the Sandia frequency shift (SFS) scheme has direct impacts on the stability of a system with grid-connected distributed generations (DGs). In this paper, a scheduled perturbation technique is proposed to reduce the stability impact of K . In the proposed technique, chopping fraction (cf) is used to compensate for reduction in the value of K , where higher cf values are used to achieve zero nondetection zone (NDZ) under low gain SFS. It is shown by analysis that theoretical reduction of NDZ can be always achieved for a nonzero value of cf. Simulations for single- and multi-DGs systems are performed to verify the analytical analysis. It is shown that an appropriate design of scheduled signal duty cycle ( d ) is of critical importance to realize the proposed reduction in NDZ. While close synchronization of perturbation signals for multi-DG system is required, a delay of 0.33 s is shown to be tolerated for a two-DG system. Synchronization can be achieved either through locally synchronized timers or by limited communication among DGs. The proposed technique provides an attractive option for systems with high DG penetration by reducing the negative impact of K on stability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The distribution network planning under active network management (ANM) schemes is becoming of interest due to substantial benefits in facilitating the increasing integration of renewable energy sources. This paper presents various potential ANM schemes based on the photovoltaic inverter control (PVIC) considering enhanced utilization of the inverter reactive power capability. Depending on the active power generation of PV arrays, inverter size and desired reactive power settings, several PVIC schemes are proposed. The PVIC schemes are incorporated in the optimal power flow (OPF) and formulated as a nonlinear programming (NLP) problem. In this study, the PVIC schemes are applied to maximize the total wind-distributed generation (DG) penetration on a typical U.K. distribution system. Various case studies are presented and compared to evaluate the performance. The results show that the proposed schemes can significantly increase the wind penetration levels by 45.4% and up to 92.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a new formulation for distribution system reconfiguration (DSR) is proposed for minimizing the annual energy losses considering the variability in active and reactive power demand and distributed generation (DG) profiles. A fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm is used to obtain representative centroids from annual DG and power demand profiles. The DSR study is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming optimization problem and tested on a 33-bus and an 84-bus system. The minimization is subject to the power balance, bus voltage, and distribution system radiality constraints. Using this formulation, a single optimum configuration that minimizes annual energy losses is found and shown to be different from the optimum configuration, found in previous literature, which focuses on minimizing power losses at peak or average loads. In addition, the prospective advantages of grid automation on DSR are demonstrated to provide further energy loss reduction by including the possibility of interchanging a predefined number of configurations that minimize annual energy losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the integration of distributed generation (DG) to meshed distribution systems, the operating time of the protective system becomes a major concern in order to avoid nuisance DG tripping. This paper proposes a new time–current–voltage tripping characteristic for directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs) that can achieve a higher possible reduction of overall relays operating time in meshed distribution networks. The proposed tripping characteristic is described in detail. Moreover, the protection coordination problem is formulated as a constrained nonlinear programming problem to determine the optimal relay settings. The proposed characteristic is tested on the power distribution system of the IEEE 14 bus and IEEE 30 bus with inverter-based and synchronous-based DG units. The outcome of this study reveals that the new tripping characteristic for DOCRs achieves notable reduction in total relays' operating time over the conventional characteristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islanding detection is important to ensure the reliability and safety of distributed generation (DG). In this paper, a new active islanding detection method (IDM) is proposed, and it depends on individually estimating an overall transient stiffness measure for any multi-DG system to establish a clear separation between prior- and post-islanding stiffness. For the multi-DG system to avoid spectrum overlapping, each of its DGs is required to perturb at distinct frequencies. By using this concept of perturbation separation, the proposed technique can be applied to multi-DG systems without requiring any communication among the DGs. Simulation results show that the proposed technique is scalable and robust against different loading conditions and variations of grid stiffness levels as well as with respect to the number of connected DGs and different types of DG controllers. It is also shown that the proposed technique can successfully distinguish islanding conditions from other disturbances that may occur in power system networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new islanding detection method (IDM) is proposed to dynamically estimate islanding occurrence. The proposed dynamic estimators estimate amplitudes and phase angles of the current injected by the grid at the point of common coupling with the distributed generation (DG) in addition to the DG's bus voltage. A distributed two-level algorithm is proposed to detect an islanding condition for single and multi-DG configurations. Analytical design and transient analysis are carried out for the islanding detection problem to determine the nondetection zone (NDZ) of the proposed islanding detection algorithm. A local low-frequency meshed communication network is sufficient to achieve distributed islanding detection capability for a general multi-DG network with negligible NDZ. It is shown through simulations that the proposed IDM can successfully distinguish an islanding condition from other disturbances that may occur in power system networks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the presence of distributed generation (DG), it is important to assure a fast and reliable protection system for the distribution network to avoid unintentional DG disconnection during fault conditions. In this paper, dual setting directional over-current relays are proposed for protecting meshed distribution systems with DG. Dual setting relays are equipped with two inverse time-current characteristics whose settings will depend on the fault direction. The protection coordination problem for the dual setting directional relay is formulated as a nonlinear programming problem where the objective is to minimize the overall time of operation of relays during primary and backup operation. The proposed protection coordination scheme using dual setting relays is compared against the conventional approach, which relies on the conventional one setting directional relay. The proposed scheme is applied to the power distribution network of the IEEE 30-bus system equipped with synchronous and inverter-based DG. The results show that the proposed protection coordination scheme with dual setting relay can significantly reduce the overall relay operating time, making it an attractive option for distribution systems with DG. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Microgrids can be operated either grid-connected to reduce system losses and for peak shaving or islanded to increase reliability and provide backup power during utility outage. Such dual configuration capability imposes challenges on the design of the protection system. Fault current magnitudes will vary depending on the microgrid operating mode. In this paper, a microgrid protection scheme that relies on optimally sizing fault current limiters and optimally setting directional overcurrent relays is proposed. The protection scheme is optimally designed taking into account both modes of operation (grid-connected and islanded). The problem has been formulated as a constrained nonlinear programming problem and is solved using the genetic algorithm with the static penalty constraint-handling technique. The proposed approach is tested on two medium-voltage networks: a typical radial distribution system and on the IEEE 30-bus looped power distribution system equipped with directly connected conventional synchronous generators. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Seamless formation and robust control of distributed generation microgrids are essential requirements to facilitate powerful and flexible control infrastructure in future smart power grids. Motivated by this objective, this paper presents a control structure for microgrid converters based on direct-voltage control and optimized dynamic power sharing. The salient features of the proposed scheme are 1) minimum switching actions between grid-connected and isolated microgrids systems to minimize internal microgrid formation disturbances; 2) active damping control performance in the converter control voltage vector to effectively reject both voltage magnitude disturbances and power angle swings associated with mode transition and load disturbances; and 3) high bandwidth direct voltage control loop in both grid-connected and isolated microgrid modes to improve the dynamic response and disturbance rejection performance. Theoretical analysis and comparative experimental results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sandia frequency shift (SFS) falls under the active islanding detection methods that rely on frequency drift to detect an islanding condition for inverter-based distributed generation. Active islanding detection methods are commonly tested on constant RLC loads where the load's active power is directly proportional to the square of voltage and is independent on the system frequency. Since the SFS method relies primarily on frequency to detect islanding, the load's active power frequency dependence could have an impact on its performance and the nondetection zone (NDZ). In this paper, the impact of the load's active power frequency dependence on the performance of the SFS method, during an islanding condition, is analyzed. A NDZ model that takes into account the load's frequency dependence parameter is derived mathematically and validated through digital simulation. The results show that the load's frequency dependence has a significant impact on the NDZ of the SFS method and thus is an important factor to consider when designing and testing this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although active islanding detection techniques have smaller nondetection zones than passive techniques, active methods could degrade the system power quality and are not as simple and easy to implement as passive methods. The islanding detection strategy, proposed in this paper, combines the advantages of both active and passive islanding detection methods. The distributed-generation (DG) interface was designed so that the DG maintains stable operation while being grid connected and loses its stability once islanded. Thus, the over/undervoltage and over/underfrequency protection method would be sufficient to detect islanding. The main advantage of the proposed technique is that it relies on a simple approach for islanding detection and has negligible nondetection zone. The system was simulated on PSCAD/EMTDC and simulation results are presented to highlight the effectiveness of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous literature, constant RLC loads were assumed to impose, on the islanding detection method, the hardest detectable case. For this reason, distributed-generation (DG) islanding studies are usually analyzed and performed by using constant RLC loads. In this paper, different types of loads are taken into account by modeling the load's voltage and frequency dependence. The performance of the over/undervoltage and over/underfrequency protection (OVP/UVP and OFP/UFP) method is examined for the different load models and the results are compared with the constant RLC load case. The analysis is conducted on a constant power-controlled DG designed to operate at unity power factor. A generalized formula, for calculating the non-detection zone of the OVP/UVP and OFP/UFP method, is derived in terms of the load's voltage and frequency dependence parameters. The analysis is further extended on a constant current-controlled DG interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islanding detection of Distributed Generation (DG) is considered as one of the most important aspects when interconnecting DGs to the distribution system. With the increasing penetration and reliance of the distribution systems on DGs, new interface control strategies are being proposed. Aside from its main task of supplying active power, the DG could provide voltage support, improve the power factor, or mitigate other power quality problems. This paper examines the impact of the interface control strategy of inverter based DGs on islanding detection. The Non-detective Zone (NDZ) for over/under voltage and over/under frequency is derived analytically for each interface control and validated by simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract-The Sandia frequency-shift (SFS) method is one of the active islanding detection methods that possesses small nondetection zones (NDZs). The effectiveness of the SFS depends to a great extent on its design parameters (cf[subo] and k). In this letter, a formula is derived to aid protection engineers to determine the optimal parameter setting for the SFS islanding detection method. It is concluded that the parameter (k) has a significant effect on the NDZ and a modified version of the SFS is proposed that relies only on this parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]