A Hybrid Reactive Power Control Method of Distributed Generation to Mitigate Voltage Rise in Low-Voltage Grid

Optimal Microgrid–Interactive Reactive Power Management for Day–Ahead Operation

The replacement of conventional generation sources by DER creates the need to carefully manage the reactive power maintaining the power system safe operation. The principal trend is to increase the DER volume connected to the distribution network in the coming years. Therefore, the microgrid represents an alternative to offer reactive power management due to excellent controllability features embedded in the DER, which enable effective interaction between the microgrid and the distribution network. This paper proposes a microgrid–iterative reactive power management approach of power-electronic converter based renewable technologies for day-ahead operation. It is designed to be a centralised control based on local measurements, which provides the optimal reactive power dispatch and minimise the total energy losses inside the microgrid and maintain the voltage profile within operational limits. The proposed optimal-centralised control is contrasted against seven local reactive power controls using a techno-economic approach considering the steady–state voltage profile, the energy losses, and the reactive power costs as performance metrics. Three different reactive power pricing are proposed. The numerical results demonstrate the optimal microgrid–interactive reactive power management is the most suitable techno-economic reactive power control for the day–ahead operation.

Adaptive Algorithm of a Tap-Changer Controller of the Power Transformer Supplying the Radial Network Reducing the Risk of Voltage Collapse

The development of renewable energy, including wind farms, photovoltaic farms as well as prosumer installations, and the development of electromobility pose new challenges for network operators. The results of these changes are, among others, the change of network load profiles and load flows determining greater volatility of voltages. Most of the proposed solutions do not assume a change of the transformer regulator algorithm. The possibilities of improving the quality of regulation, which can be found in the literature, most often include various methods of coordination of the operation of the transformer regulator with various devices operating in the Medium-Voltage (MV) network. This coordination can be decentralized or centralized. Unfortunately, the proposed solutions often require costly technical resources and/or large amounts of real-time data monitoring. The goal of the authors was to create an algorithm that extends the functionality of typical transformer control algorithms. The proposed solution allows for reducing the risk of voltage collapse. The performance of the proposed algorithm was validated using multivariate computer simulations and tests with the use of a physical model of the distribution network. The DIgSILENT PowerFactory environment was used to develop the simulation model of the proposed algorithm. Then, tests were conducted on real devices installed in the LINTEˆ2 Laboratory at the Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland. Selected test results are included in this paper. All results have shown that the proposed algorithm makes it possible to increase the reserve of the voltage stability of the node, in which it is applied, thus mitigating the risk of a voltage collapse occurring. The proposed algorithm does not require complex and costly technical solutions. Owing to its simplicity, it has a high potential for practical application, as confirmed by the real-time control experiment in the laboratory.

Reactive Power Control Method for Enhancing the Transient Stability Total Transfer Capability of Transmission Lines for a System with Large-Scale Renewable Energy Sources

With the increased proportion of intermittent renewable energy sources (RES) integrated into the sending-end, the total transfer capability of transmission lines is not sufficient during the peak periods of renewable primary energy (e.g., the wind force), causing severe RES power curtailment. The total transfer capability of transmission lines is generally restricted by the transient stability total transfer capability (TSTTC). This paper presents a reactive power control method to enhance the TSTTC of transmission lines. The key is to obtain the sensitivity between TSTTC and reactive power, while the Thevenin equivalent voltage is the link connecting TSTTC and reactive power. The Thevenin theorem states that an active circuit between two load terminals can be considered as an individual voltage source. The voltage of this source would be open-circuit voltage across the terminals, and the internal impedance of the source is the equivalent impedance of the circuit across the terminals. The Thevenin voltage used in Thevenin’s theorem is an ideal voltage source equal to the open-circuit voltage at the terminals. Thus, the sensitivities between TSTTC and the Thevenin equivalent voltages of the sending-end and receiving-end were firstly derived using the equal area criterion. Secondly, the sensitivity between the Thevenin equivalent voltage and reactive power was derived using the total differentiation method. By connecting the above sensitivities together with the relevant parameters calculated from Thevenin equivalent parameter identification and power flow equation, the sensitivity between TSTTC and reactive power was obtained, which was used as the control priority in the proposed reactive power control method. At last, the method was applied to the Gansu Province Power Grid in China to demonstrate its effectiveness, and the accuracy of the sensitivity between TSTTC and reactive power was verified.