Reactive Power Compensation and Voltage Support in Wind Farms

Using PV-STATCOM (Case study at Adama-I Wind farm, Ethiopia)

Gadisa F. Yadesa
Electrical power Engineering Department
Jimma Institute of Technology (JIT)
Jimma, Ethiopia
Email: gadisafayera6@gmail.com
Introduction

 The demands of renewable electrical energy are rapidly increasing and have attracted
much attention due to their abundance and clearness. Among this renewable electrical
energy the wind energy is takes a priority.
 A variable speed wind turbine is one which is specifically designed to operate over
a wide range of rotor speeds. The reason to vary the rotor speed is to capture the
maximum aerodynamic power in the wind, as the wind speed varies. This speed
variation power output of wind turbine generator is causes steady state voltage
variations on field wind farms. To overcome this problem the previous wind plant and
most of wind plant currently we use has shunt capacitors and magnetically coupled
reactors to act as reactive power compensator.
 When an unexpected fault is happen in wind farm specially single line to ground
fault unexpected voltage increment/rise is take place at generating side which our
wind turbine generator is cannot withstand voltage and it consequences in
disconnection of the system from the grid throughout fault occurrence. These
phenomena can reduce capacity of WTG connector transmission line. To control
sudden rise of voltage use different compensator device and FACT devices.
 However all the method listed above has its own drawback technical as well as
economical. This paper addresses how to overcome the above listed problem, by
using with newly emerging technology which is the family of FACT device called
PV-STATCOM which has many benefits and also an economical.

Statement of Problem

Now a days the major problems of wind energy farms (Adama I) is related with reactive power and
sudden increase of voltage due to faults are increasing.

Objective

General objective

The general objective of this thesis is to design the Reactive Power Compensation and Voltage
Support in Wind Farms Using PV-STATCOM.
Specific objective

 To improve reactive power compensator and voltage support using PV-STATCOM

 To improve temporary over voltage analysis due to fault by using PV-STATCOM
 To analysis economic benefits of using PV-STATCOM

Methodology

The FACTS devices are defined as the AC transmission systems incorporating power
electronics based and other static controllers to enhance controllability and increase power
transfer capability. Due to their fast response and dynamic reactive power support capability,
FACTS controllers were most suitable to mitigate voltage fluctuation.

STATCOM: static synchronous compensator is the newly emerging technology, which

regulates voltage at is terminal by controlling the amount of reactive power injected into or
absorbed from the power system to improve system operation efficient and reliable.

STATCOM is the voltage-source converter, which converts a DC input voltage into AC

output voltage in order to compensate the active and reactive needed by the system.

Fig. 1 an equivalent circuit of STATCOM

In steady state operation, the voltage VS generated by the VSC is in phase with VPCC (δ=0),
so that only reactive power is flowing. If VS is lower than VPCC, Q is flowing from VPCC
to VS (STATCOM is absorbing reactive power). On the reverse, if VS is higher than VPCC,
Q is flowing from VS to VPCC (STATCOM is generating reactive power).

As the generator-side converter of the WTG controls the speed of the PMSG, the grid-side
converter regulates the DC bus voltage while controlling the active power and reactive power
injected into the grid. The active power and reactive power injected into grid is,

…………………………………………..1
Since the inverter based solar panels and the VSC based STATCOM devices are similar in
structural operation and functionality. The only difference is the addition of new control
method termed as PV-STATCOM. PV-STATCOM has been used as an automatic voltage
regulator at PCC (main substation) of the selected wind farm. This PV-STATCOM is
working under d-q transformation principles. The q-axis reference current, Iq_ref controls the
reactive power exchange between the PV-STATCOM and the grid (PCC). The output of the
DC voltage, PI-1, is the reference current Id-ref for the current regulator (Id is current in
phase with voltage which controls active power flow) by comparing it with d-axis measured
current output.

Fig. 2 PCC voltage control schematic diagram of solar controller as PV-STATCOM

To achieve the vector control scheme, the d-axis of the synchronous frame is aligned with the
grid voltage vector, therefore the d-axis grid voltage is equal to its magnitude (vd = vg), and
the resultant q-axis voltage vq is then equal to zero (vq = 0). Then expressions the active and
reactive power of equation 1 can be reduced to:

....................................................................................... 2

From equations (1) and (2) the active and reactive powers are controlled by the d-axis and q-axis
currents respectively.

Results Analysis and Discussions

To overcome the above problem the study system was modelled as shown in Fig. with
Matlab/Power Sim software. In this system the PVSTATCOM generates the required reactive
power at the PCC of the WF and at the same time it can generate active power if there is no
reactive power needed by the grid as indicated in the control system for the PV-STACOM
Fig. 3 The overall system model in Matlab/PowerSim

Simulation result of wind turbine generator of wind farm and its control mechanism without using
PV-STATCOM.

Fig. 4 WTG side bus (B620V) and PCC bus (B33kV) output voltage waveforms

Fig. 5 Active power (MW) and reactive power (MVar) outputs of the WTGs’
A Single Line to Ground (SLGF) occurrences at Adama-I PCC (B_ kV bus) of the WTGs’ is
increasing the grid network voltages levels.

Fig. WTG side bus (B620V) and PCC bus (B33kV) output voltage waveforms with SLGF

When SLGF is occurred at the end of the transmission line near to the PCC of the WTGs’
PCC single line phase voltage is forced to zero value for 0.1 second and this leads to
overloading to the normally running phases. But the magnitude of the PCC loaded phase
voltage have been improved and limited within 1p.u value in magnitude with the installation
of PV-STATCOM at the PCC of the WTGs’.

Fig. PCC Phase voltages with PV-STATCOM (without sun radiation) and with SLGF
occurrences

Fig. Three phase PCC voltage with PV-STATCOM (with sunny time) and SLGF occurrence

By applying the PV-STATCOM to act as reactive power compensator the bus voltage limit
(±6%) of the rated required voltage of violations. With using PV-STATCOM we can regulate
both the active and reactive/voltage power missing’s in the wind farm networks.
In addition to reactive power compensation and voltage support PV-STATCOM is used to
regulate active power due to this using this device has also economic benefits by reducing
capital cost.

Conclusion