F. O. Resende

Using Low Voltage MicroGrids for Service Restoration

Under normal operating conditions, a MicroGrid is interconnected with the medium voltage network; however, in order to deal with black start and islanded operation following a general blackout, an emergency operation mode must be envisaged. A sequence of actions and conditions to be checked during the restoration stage are identified and tested through numerical simulation. Voltage and frequency control approaches, inverter control modes, and the need of storage devices are addressed in this paper in order to ensure system stability, achieve robustness of operation, and not jeopardize power quality during service restoration in the low voltage area

Control strategies for microgrids emergency operation

Under normal operating conditions, a microgrid (MG) is interconnected with the medium voltage (MV) network. However, planned or unplanned events like maintenance or faults in the MV network, respectively, may lead to MG islanding. In order to deal with islanded operation and even black start following a general blackout, an emergency operation mode must be envisaged. Two possible control strategies were investigated and are described in this paper in order to operate a MG under emergency mode. A sequence of actions for a well succeeded black start procedure, involving microgeneration units, has also been identified contributing for an increase in distribution network reliability

Development of Dynamic Equivalents for MicroGrids using System Identification Theory

Large deployment of microgrids will have a considerable impact on the future operation of the electrical networks and will greatly influence the power system dynamics mainly at the Medium Voltage (MV) level whenever the upstream system has been lost. In dynamic studies the whole power system cannot be represented in a detailed manner because the huge system dimension would require a very large computational effort. Therefore dynamic equivalents for microgrids need to be derived. The proposed approach is based on system identification theory for developing dynamic equivalents for microgrids, which are able to retain the relevant dynamics with respect to the existing MV network.

Optimal management of battery charging of electric vehicles: A new microgrid feature

Large deployment of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) will put new challenges regarding the power systems operation. The MicroGrid (MG) concept can be exploited to support the progressive integration of PHEVs into the Low Voltage (LV) networks by developing smart charging strategies to manage the PHEVs batteries charging procedures in order to avoid reinforcements in the grid infrastructures. Assuming that a number of PHEVs owners allow managing the batteries charging when their cars are parked, this paper proposes an approach that aims to find suitable individual active power set-points corresponding to the hourly charging rate of each PHEV battery connected to the LV grid. The Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization (EPSO) tool is used to find these active power set points. This requires an additional software module to be housed in the MV/LV secondary substation level, called Optimal Power Set-points Calculator (OPSC).

Using photovoltaic systems to improve voltage control in low voltage networks

This paper describes technical solutions based on advanced control functionalities for photovoltaic systems aiming to prevent voltage rise above technical limits in low voltage MicroGrids by limiting the injected active power. Due to the action of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) systems, it is expected that the output power of photovoltaic systems tracks the maximum value according to both solar and temperature conditions. Hence, limiting the active power to be injected into the low voltage network requires the accommodation of the generation surplus. An innovative approach is proposed for this purpose, exploiting a modified MPPT algorithm that finds a proper operation point considering also the grid operating conditions. The technical feasibility of this approach is evaluated through numerical simulations performed in the Matlab®/Simulink® simulation tool using the detailed models of the power electronic converters.

Management and control systems for large scale integration of renewable energy sources into the electrical networks

This paper presents a general overview about the system operation, management and control following a large scale integration of renewable energy sources, focusing in particular the wind generation, both onshore and offshore. Regarding the operation of distribution networks, the integration of renewable energy sources and other distributed generation systems requires the adoption of active control and management structures. These structures will contribute to extend intelligence from the transmission to the distribution networks, aiming to change the operation paradigm from passive towards the smart grids vision for European networks of energy. The MicroGrid concept plays a key role in this context and has been exploited in order to support the progressive integration of electric vehicles, trying to avoid grid reinforcements.

Contribution of PMSG based small wind generation systems to provide voltage control in low voltage networks

This paper proposes technical solutions that can be implemented in variable speed permanent magnet synchronous generators driven wind turbine systems aiming to mitigate high voltage problems in low voltage MicroGrids by controlling the active power output. Due to the limited control capability of these systems, controlling the output power to prevent voltage rise will require the local accommodation of the generation surplus. For this purpose, additional control functionalities are developed to be integrated in the control systems of the power electronic based interfaces. Their performance is evaluated through numerical simulations performed in Matlab®/Simulink® environment and considering the detailed models of the power electronic converters. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control functionalities.

Evaluating the performance of external fault ride-through solutions used in wind farms with fixed speed induction generators when facing unbalanced faults

The continuous growth of wind energy integration on electrical networks has led many utilities to impose fault ride-through capability to wind farms. This means that wind turbines must remain connected to the system during severe fault occurrence. Regarding the existing wind farms equipped with fixed speed induction generators directly connected to the grid, fault ride-through capability is commonly assisted with dynamic compensation devices, such as DSTATCOM units. These power electronic devices are controlled for voltage regulation purposes and behave like a balanced three-phase voltage source converter since commonly used control techniques are based only on the positive sequence of both voltage and current measured at its connection point. These control techniques are suitable only when compensation devices are operated under balanced conditions and therefore its performance when facing unbalanced faults needs to be evaluated. This paper tackles with this subject and the results obtained through numerical simulations demonstrate that over voltages can arise on non faulty phases leading to the wind farm disconnection.

Application of dynamic equivalence techniques to derive aggregated models of active distribution network cells and microgrids

Large deployment of distributed generation into distribution systems brings new challenges regarding the shift from the passive to the active control paradigm. These challenges have been extended to the field of dynamic equivalence. Developing effective reduced order models for active distribution network cells for dynamic and stability studies require a careful evaluation of the techniques that have been used in conventional power systems. Thus, a survey of the existing approaches is presented in this paper. Also a critical overview is provided regarding their application to active distribution network cells and microgrids. Technical requirements are identified and recommendations are provided.

Aggregated models of wind-based generation and active distribution network cells for power system studies - literature overview

The paper describes some of the initial results of the CIGRE Working Group C4.605 “Modeling and aggregation of loads in flexible power networks”. One of the tasks of the working group is to provide recommendations on developing equivalent static and dynamic models for clusters of diverse loads/generators, i.e., models of distribution network cells and microgrids and recommendations on procedures for data/response gathering and processing. This paper focuses on critical review of existing literature on aggregated models of wind-based generation, active distribution network cells and microgrids for power system studies.