Power Quality, distributed generation, and intermittent sources of energy

Math Bollen STRI AB Ludvika, Sweden

What is Power Quality?

Interaction between the power network and its customers. Voltage quality: network impacts customer equipment. Current quality: customer equipment impacts the network. Many other definitions exist.

Whats the difference?

Network and system operators have no control over the generation. Generated power is non-predictable and/or highly variable. Generator units do not contribute to ancillary services.

Power Quality and DG

1. Voltage quality impacts the DG units. 2. DG units impact the current quality and through the network other customers. 3. Tripping of DG units impacts system security and reliability.

1. Voltage Quality and DG

T&D network
voltage

DG

Voltage Quality
a Matter of Design
Normal operation (variations)
Units should tolerate the existing levels of voltage quality like all other equipment.

Normal events
Units should tolerate normal events (capacitor switching, transformer energizing).

Abnormal events
The immunity against abnormal events is part of the economic optimization of the DG units.

The approach is the same as for normal equipment

2. Current Quality and DER

other customers

T&D network
current

DER

Current Quality
A Multi-Dimensional Problem Low-frequency harmonics Capacitor-energizing transients

Voltage flicker

Tap-changer operation

High-frequency harmonics
Transformer energizing dips

Voltage variations

Unbalance

Voltage dips due to faults Frequency swings

Harmonic resonances
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Hosting Capacity
addressing one dimension at a time
Performance index

more investment

Limit

Hosting capacity

Penetration level
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Hosting Capacity: Example

rms voltage 110%
s 3e n o c d
95% ute n i 10-m

106%

% 9 9

%DG
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3. Tripping of DG Units
T&D network
other customers voltage

trip

DG

Sudden loss of large amounts of DG will cause reliability, security, and quality problems in the power system.
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Potentially Dangerous Events

50.6 15 50.4 10 50.2 Frequency [Hz] 50 49.8 49.6 -10 49.4 -15 49.2 0 50 100 Time [s] 150 200 0 10 20 30 Time [Cycles] 40 50 Voltage [kV] 5 0 -5

Frequency swing due to loss of large power station

Voltage dip due to a fault not properly cleared by the protection

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Immunity Requirements
Protection (maximum tripping time)
No protection mal-trip No unintentional islanding (Thermal) limits of DER components

Immunity (minimum tripping time)

Limited risk of massive DER tripping Reliability of grid connection

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Voltage Tolerance of DER

100%

Residual voltage

Immunity requirement
pe rfo rm an ce Im m un ity

Protection requirement

Duration
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Further work
Hosting-capacity approach
Stochastic models of load and DG. Performance indices and objectives for a wide range of disturbances.

Tripping of DG on voltage events

Reliability methods to be applied. What is an acceptable risk?
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