Reactive Power Compensation Strategies for Voltage Stability in Renewable Power Networks

Abstract

Growing use of renewable energy sources (RES), especially, solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind systems, has posed notable issues in the stability of voltages in contemporary power systems in regards to their intermittency and inability to be dispatched. The voltage profiles have to be maintained within reasonable levels, and this should be achieved through effective reactive power compensation. In this paper, a detailed analysis of reactive power compensation methods with a focus on traditional capacitor banks, flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) equipment (e.g., statical synchronous compensators (STATCOM)) and inverter-based reactive power control systems will be described. Also, a hierarchical adaptive reactive power compensation plan is suggested, which will vary to dynamically redistribute the reactive power assistance between the various devices depending on the conditions of the system. As a part of the suggested approach, MATLAB/Simulink is used to implement and test the suggested method in different conditions, such as variable renewable generation and variations in loads. Voltage deviation performance, reactive power response and stability of the system performance measures are studied. It has been found that the proposed strategy outperforms the traditional methods in terms of preventing voltage deviation (up to 35 percent better), and transient response. Moreover, high stability margins are realised in dynamic perturbations. The results have shown that reactive power compensation works together and in tandem to achieve and maintain reliable and stable operation of the renewable-dominated power systems.