Embedded control system for reactive power control in distributed energy resources for voltage regulation in the distributed power system

Abstract

Since more distributed energy resources (DER) are being linked to the electrical grid, the current distributed power system (DPS) is encountering additional voltage regulation challenges. Traditionally, on-load tap changers, step voltage regulators, and switched capacitor banks have been used for voltage regulation in DPS. However, these sources are insufficient for voltage regulation in current DPS. As a result, reactive power assistance from a DER unit based on power electronics is intended to adjust the voltage in the DPS. In terms of flexibility, security, reliability, and availability, embedded control systems are now being investigated by researchers for use in power converter-fed DER units. This paper presents a method for constructing an embedded controller unit based on XynergyXS for the power converter controller, which includes reactive power regulation in the DER unit. Furthermore, it proposes dynamic reactive power control in the DER unit for enhanced DPS voltage regulation. The suggested voltage control approach is tested in a MATLAB/Simulink model of a practical 85-bus distributed power system located in the northern Tamilnadu region, India as well as a modified IEEE 33-bus system. The new control approach investigates all potential power grid disruptions. The results reveal that the proposed reactive power control method in DER units enhances network voltage regulation while reducing the number of switching operations performed by static voltage regulating units such as on load tap changers and switched capacitor banks.

Keywords

• grid voltage regulation
• static voltage regulating devices
• distributed energy resources
• embedded control
• reactive power control system