Effect of renewable energy integration on the voltage

profile of Indian power system

Saranya A
Dept of Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology- Madras
India
ee15s070@ee.iitm.ac.in
Ajay Krishnan Nilakantan
Technology Management
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
Germany
a.nilakantan@reinhausen.com
Markus Riepl
Product Management
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
Germany
Markus.Riepl@reinhausen.com
Dr.K.Shanti Swarup
Dept of Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology- Madras
India
swarup@ee.iitm.ac.in

Abstract— The changing nature of power flows from  Increased reactive power requirements on the
unidirectional top-down approach to multi-level multi-directional distribution level will cause additional stress to the
generation and utilization, has led to creation of active distribution grid assets
networks. This shift in the generation structure poses different  A change in consumption will cause a higher effect to
challenges to the transmission and distribution grids. With
efficiency, economics and coordinated operation of grids being the
the stability of the grid frequency due to decreasing
prime focus, voltage regulation and dynamic reactive power compensation by synchronous generators
compensation at generation, transmission and distribution level as  High level of renewable generation is moving the
well as efficient evacuation of the generated power becomes operating point for conventional synchronous
critical. This paper briefs the existing voltage regulation practices generation units into economically unfavorable
in India as well as VAR exchange at the Interstate transmission regions with limited counteractions based on
system. and analyses the impact of renewable generation conventional infrastructure
integration on the voltage profile of the system.
 Conventional infrastructure at the transmission level
For simulation, the 400 kV transmission network of the state of will cause service interruptions and frequent
Tamil Nadu has been modeled using DigSilent PowerFactory maintenance schedules due to dynamic fluctuations
considering all the major generation plants (greater than 100 and inadequate reactive power compensating
MW). Various operational scenarios were defined based on the equipment. This will dent the economics of power
hourly generation from wind and PV plants along with the load over lifetime of the equipment.
patterns throughout the year. The objective of this paper is to
evaluate the effect of large-scale integration of renewables and to
present technical solutions which would enable efficient,
economical, reliable and coordinated operation of the grid. Phase
shifting transformers and variable shunt reactor (a reactor, whose
inductance is varied using On Load Tap Changer (OLTC))
present dynamic solution to the challenges and these have been
validated by the simulation results. The simulation also
highlighted the importance of coordinated operation of
transformers.

Keywords— Active distribution grids, phase shifting transmformer,

variable shunt reactor, OLTC, power flow control

I. INTRODUCTION
The Indian power network has evolved in terms of power flows
from a streamlined high voltage generation towards low voltage
consumption, to a decentralized generation and varying power
flow directions, as shown in Fig. 1 [1]. This varying nature of
power flows has an impact on the different parts of the power
system. The conclusions drawn from the evolution of such Figure 1: Evolution of the power grid from a inertia based
decentralized systems in the different parts of the world [2], will system to an inverter-based system [1]
serve as a guideline for the future grid planners and operators.
The exhaustive shift of generation capacity towards rural
 Change of load balance and power flows cause an distribution grids is causing the physical effects of increased
increased requirement of reactive power and dynamic system voltage variation in the distribution grid, stress on
voltage fluctuations conventional infrastructure and increased reactive power
demand.
The overall objectives of this paper has been pictorially
represented in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2: Voltage vs power factor limits for wind farms

Figure 2. Objectives of this paper connected above 66kV [4]

This paper is organized as follows: The existing voltage

regulation principles followed in India, are mentioned in Table 1- Voltage limits at grid connection point of wind farm
Section II. As reactive power compensation also plays a vital [4]
role in voltage regulation, the VAR exchange between the states Nominal (kV) Maximum (pu) Minimum (pu)
is illustrated in Section III. This is followed by a steady state 400 1.05 0.9
simulation analysis of the voltage profile of the 400kV 220 1.11 0.91
transmission system of a state in India, with connected PV and 132 1.1 0.91
wind generation sources. This involves characterization of the 110 1.1 0.875
operational scenarios, modeling of the generators and external 66 1.1 0.91
grid and then performing the load flow analysis. These have 33 1.05 0.9
been detailed in the sections IV and V. Section VI concludes
the work. For grid-connected PV plants, there is no grid code for the
connection of PV plants into the grid yet. The steady state
II. EXISTING VOLTAGE REGULATION PRINCIPLES AND operational voltage range of the grid is shown in Table 2.
PRACTICES IN INDIA
Table 2- Steady state operational voltage range [5]
Nominal (kV) Maximum (pu) Minimum (pu)
2.1. Operating voltage and power factor range 765 1.05 0.95
400 1.05 0.9
The operating power factor range prescribed for conventional 220 1.11 0.91
plants is between 0.95 leading to 0.85 lagging [3] . For the wind 132 1.1 0.91
farms connected to 66kV or below, reactive power injection is
least expected from the wind farms. The operational limits are
given by the Voltage vs power factor curve for the wind farms
2.2 Voltage control at the generator transformer
connected to more than 66kV are shown in Fig. 2.
Tap changing in Generator Transformers (GT) are often done
The wind farm owner is penalized when it draws reactive power
off-line despite having an OLTC. As the GT’s are always fully
when the bus voltage is below the minimum limit and when it
loaded, due to overheating especially in high ambient
injects reactive power when the bus voltage is above the
temperature period, operators of the generators tend to curtail
maximum limit. The permissible voltage limits at grid
connection point of wind farm is shown in Table 1. the reactive power output [6]. Off-load tap changes are used
for seasonal variations in the voltage profile [7]. It has also been
demonstrated in [7] that changing the generator tap will reduce
the high voltage of the system by making the generator absorb
more reactive power. The reactive power export can also be
reduced by the use of generator transformer tap.
 III. VAR EXCHANGE AT INTER-STATE AND INTRA-STATE
TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS
To discourage VAR drawals by regional entities, the VAR
interchange at the ISTS (Inter-State Transmission System) shall
be priced as follows [3]:
 When voltage at metering point is below 97%, the
Regional Entity pays for VAR drawal and gets paid for
VAR injection.
 When voltage at metering point is above 103%, the
Regional Entity gets paid for VAR drawal and pays for
VAR injection.
The charge for VARh shall be at the rate of Rs. 0.10/kVARh
(with effect from 2010) and increase by Rs. 0.005/kVARh
every year, unless otherwise revised by the commission.
Presently, the rate is 14 Paise/KVARh for the year 2018-19 [8].
The Regional Entities shall endeavor to minimize the VAR
drawal at an interchange point when the voltage at that point is
below 95% of rated, and shall not return VAR when the voltage
is above 105%. Inter-Connecting Transformer (ICT) taps at the
respective drawal points may be changed to control the VAR
interchange as per a Regional Entity’s request to the RLDC, but
only at reasonable intervals [3]. In this way, the decision would
be unbiased and only help in improving the system security.
Switching in/out of all 400 kV bus and line reactors can be done
as per instructions from RLDC only. Tap changing on all
400/220 kV ICT shall also be done as per instructions from
RLDC only. VAR control can also be achieved with the help of
variable capacitor banks at the point of connection. The
charge/payment for VAR exchange from the grid varies in each
state. For example, in the state of Tamil Nadu, it is Rs.
0.25/kVARh if the ratio of kVARh drawn to kWh exported is
upto 10% and Rs.0.50/kVARh for ratio above 10%.
The Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC) [8] publishes
the Reactive Energy Account every week accounting for the net
reactive energy charges between different states in the southern
India. A positive reactive energy charge means that the state has
earned revenue by providing reactive power support and a
negative number means that the state had paid out the revenue.
A detailed monthly analysis of the reactive energy charges of
each state will give an idea of the state rich with reactive power
support and one with deficit of reactive power support. This
helps in strategic investment on reactive power support by the
state and thereby avoid huge payments to the pool.
IV. SIMULATION STUDIES
The state of Tamil Nadu, having around 35% of the generation
from renewable energy sources [9], is chosen for examining the
voltage profile in the 400kV network due to the integration of
large scale renewables (more than 100 MW) at different voltage
levels. Tamil Nadu is endowed with three lengthy mountain
ranges on the western side with potential of 1650 MW in
palghat pass in Coimbatore district, 1300 MW in Shengottai
pass in Tirunelveli district and 2100 MW in Aralvoimozhi pass
in Kanniyakumari district and 450 MW in other areas totaling
5500 MW. Asia’s second largest utility-scale solar PV plant of
648 MW is located in the Kamudhi district of Kanyakumari in
Tamil Nadu.
4.1. Operational feedback from NLDC
The quarterly operational feedback report from the National
Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) [10-13] points out occurrences
of low voltage, high voltage and number of line openings in the
grid. In this paper, we concentrate on the occurrences of high
voltage scenario and mitigating them through the usage of
Variable Shunt Reactors (VSR). High voltages typically happen
during low load periods. On examining the percentage of times
the high voltage happens in the grid during the year 2017-18,
444004 MYWADI, 444012 KRAIKUDI, 444015 PUGALUR,
444024 TRVLM, 447002 TRVLM are listed as experiencing
high voltage. This is illustrated in Fig 3.
The 444012 KRAIKUDI can be categorized as a weak bus as it
is connected to the Kamuthi grid (where 648 MW PV plant is
located) and also connected to Kayathar grid where there is
abundance of wind generation. The 444012 KRAIKUDI bus is
seen to experience high voltage for prolonged duration, the
possible reasons could be improper reactive power support at
the wind and PV power plants.
Fig. 3: Percentage of over-voltage occurrences in Tamil Nadu
in 2017-18
4.2. Characterization of the operational scenarios
The prerequisites to characterize the operational scenarios are
the typical hourly load variation, solar radiation and wind
generation patterns (Fig 4 and 5).
 Table 3- Load and RE generation characterization

High/low Characterization Values to calculate time

scenario of occurrence
High 1.25 x base load > 1.1 x base load
load
Low load 0.7 x base load <0.9 x base load
High RE 80% of installed >0.8 x installed capacity
capacity
Low RE 5% of rated <0.2 x installed capacity
capacity

Fig. 4: Typical hourly wind generation pattern throughout a
year[14]
Based on the hourly load and generation patterns, shown in
Figures 4, 5, 6 and the characterizations of high and low
parameters in Table 2, the monthly and hourly occurrence of
the different highs are lows are derived and these are
summarized in Table 4 below.

Table 4- Period of occurrence of high/low RE and loads

Scenario Month Time
High Solar Jan-Aug 11am-4pm
High Wind Jun-Sep 11am-9pm
Oct 4pm-9pm
High Load Mar 6am-2am
Feb 7am-9am, 4pm-10pm
Apr-Oct 5pm-10pm
Low Solar All months 12am-7am, 6pm-12pm
Fig. 5: Typical hourly load variation pattern throughout a Low Wind Nov-Apr All day
year in Tamil Nadu in 2016 [15] ] Low Load Jan 12am-6am, 1pm-12am
Nov-Dec 12am-7am, 10am-4pm, 9pm-
12am
Typical hourly solar radiation for the district of
Ramanathapuram where the Kamuthi solar park is situated is
4.3. Definition of the operational scenarios
shown in Fig 6.
Upon careful examination of the monthly and daily generation
and load variation, it has been found that only 5 of the 8
scenarios would happen in the state of Tamil Nadu as shown in
the Table 5. Hence, the 5 scenarios have been simulated in
Powerfactory. These 5 scenarios account to about 26.65% of
the times in a year and during other times, these extreme cases
do not occur. Hence, a base case has also been created, in which
the RE generation is assumed at 50% and the load is 1 pu. Here,
1 pu load corresponds to the peak load in December month.

Table 5- Operational scenarios considered for simulation

Operational Wind Solar Load Duration
Scenarios (%)
Fig. 6: Typical hourly solar radiation pattern throughout a 1: No occurence High High High 0
year in Ramanathapuram district [16] 2: No occurence Low 0
3: Jun-Oct 6 - 9pm Low High 5.3
The operational scenarios are derived based on the 4: No occurence Low 0
characterization of the load and generation as shown in Table 5: Mar 11am - 4pm Low High High 1.8
3. 6: Jan 1-4pm Low 1.1
7: Mar 6pm-6am, Feb Low High 7.24
6 - 10pm, Apr 5-10 pm
8: Jan 6pm-6am, Nov- Low 11.21
Dec 9pm – 7am
 V. SIMULATION RESULTS
A steady state load flow analysis was carried out in DigSilent Instances of high wind back downs (due to various reasons like
PowerFactory software for various operational scenarios inadequate transmission capacity, system security etc) has
defined in Section IV. The integration of renewables brings in already been reported. Usage of a phase-shifting transformer in
the challenges of voltage regulation, reactive power one of these lines where there is abundance of wind power
compensation and relieving congestion as the pain points that plants, helps in effectively evacuating the power flows to the
needed focus. As per Greening the Grid Report, the intra-state load centers efficiently.
congestion in Tamil Nadu experiences 56% increase in
congestion periods from no new RE to 100GW Solar and
60GW wind scenario [8]. Therefore, for states which are
speculated to experience increase in the intra-state congestion,
strategic placement of Phase Shifting Transformer (PST) can be
proposed as a solution to effectively evacuate the energy from
RE sources. This will be a viable option especially when the
congestion periods are seasonal and using a PST can avoid huge
transmission line investments. The base case and scenario 3 are
detailed in subsequent sub-sections. The results of the other
scenarios are summarized in Table 6.

5.1. Base case – RE generation 50% and load 1pu

The voltage at all the buses are within the permissible limits and
there are no line overloading in the system. This is shown in the Fig 8a: Kayathar grid in Scenario 3
network diagram shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 7: Tamil Nadu Grid in base case
5.2. Scenario 3 – High Wind, Low Solar and High Load
This scenario typically occurs during the evening hours of June-
October. High voltages are observed in 765 kV 447001
TRVLM and 400 kV 44024 TRVLM buses. Installing a 250
MVAR Variable Shunt Reactor (VSR) at 444024 TRVLM
helps in reducing the voltage at the 765 kV 447002 TRVLM
bus. The usage of a Phase Shifting Transformers (PST) is
proposed as a solution to divert the flows through the congested
lines in the Kayathar grid during high wind and high load
scenarios. Here, a PST of 220kV and 600 MVA is introduced
at bus 442004 ABISEK 42 to line 18 (which goes to 442072
UDAYATR2). The grid condition before and after the
introduction of a PST is shown in Fig.8a and b. Loading of line
18 has been increased by 30% thereby reducing congestion in
adjacent lines.
Fig 8b: Kayathar grid in Scenario 3 with PST at bus 442004
ABISEK42 to bus 442072 SANKR2
5.3. Operational scenarios 5-8
The 765 kV bus 447002 TRVLM is found to experience high
voltage in all the scenarios. Installation of a VSR of 250 MVAR
at the adjacent 440 kV bus 444024 TRVLM helps in bringing
down the voltage within limits.
During low wind and low load scenarios, there are occurrences
of high voltage at around 4-5 buses as discussed in the
operational feedback and the scenarios simulated. Installation
of VSR of 250 MVAR at the 444015 PUGALUR and 444030
KAYATHAR sub-station along with the VSR at 444024
TRVLM helps in bringing down the voltage at all the high
voltage nodes within operating limits as can be seen in Fig 9.
Table 6- Summary of the solutions for the different Operational
scenarios considered for simulation
425
415
405
395
385
375
At nominal tap VSR at Pugalur VSR at TRVLM
VSR at Kayathar VSR at all 3 locations Auto tap and all 3 VSR
Fig 9. Voltage improvements at various buses in Scenario 8
VI. CONCLUSION
Large-scale integration of renewable energy sources has
numerous challenges along with the benefits it brings.
Regulation of voltage at the high voltage and low voltage levels
dynamically, providing adequate reactive energy support and
controlling the power flows become important problems
requiring attention.
This paper has briefed on the existing voltage regulation
practices in India and the operational voltage range of
generators including wind farms. Detailed analysis of the
reactive energy exchanges between the states during the
conditions of overvoltage / under-voltage could be used for
strategic investment on the provision of dynamic reactive
power support and thereby avoiding huge payments to the pool.
Simulation of the 400kV network of a renewable rich state of
Tamil Nadu was carried out for various operational scenarios.
Usage of Variable Shunt Reactors (with OLTC) and Phase
Shifting Transformers were proposed as solutions to tackle the
challenge of over voltages through dynamic reactive power
compensation and intra-state congestion due to high percentage
of renewable generation respectively.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors acknowledge the Southern Regional Load Dispatch
Center (SRLDC), Bangalore, India for providing the data of the
Indian transmission network for research.
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