Applying Virtual Inertia Control Topology to SMES System for Frequency Stability Improvement of Low-Inertia Microgrids Driven by High Renewables

Abstract

To integrate renewable energy into microgrids with a favorable inertia property, a virtual inertia control application is needed. Considering the inertia emulation capabilities, insufficient emulation of inertia power due to the lower and short-term power of storage systems could significantly cause system instability and failure. To enhance such capability, this paper applies a virtual inertia control topology to the superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) technology. The SMES-based virtual inertia control system is implemented in a microgrid with renewables to emulate sufficient inertia power and maintain good system frequency stability. The efficacy and control performance of the proposed control method are compared with those of the traditional virtual inertia control system. Simulation results show that the shortage of system inertia due to renewable penetration is properly compensated by the proposed control method, improving system frequency stability and maintaining the robustness of system operations.

Keywords

• frequency control
• frequency stability
• virtual inertia control
• superconducting magnetic energy storage
• renewable energy