Optimization Strategy of Wind Power Curtailment Under LVRT Operation

Abstract

A novel wind power curtailment optimization method considering low-voltage ride through (LVRT) operation is developed. The reserve capacity of wind generation for reactive power output is necessary to ensure the proper operation of a wind power plant (WPP) when a voltage drop occurs. In this context, the active power production of the wind power plant is curtailed to obtain the reactive power output capacity. On the contrary, this curtailed wind operation leads to an increased power system fuel cost. Considering these aspects, the proposed methodology can determine the optimal wind curtailment level by the optimal power flow (OPF) formulation. The wind-side bus voltage during the low-voltage condition is incorporated as an additional inequality constraint. Furthermore, the wind-side grid frequency decreases due to the reduced power production of the wind power plant after a fault occurrence. A primary frequency controller can be implemented in the WPP model to alleviate this frequency drop. The proposed method is evaluated based on the Western System Coordinating Council (WSCC) three-generator nine-bus and IEEE 39-bus power system models. The relationships among the wind power curtailment ratio, wind-side bus voltage constraints, and wind power plant capacity are analyzed.

Keywords

• Low-voltage ride through
• optimal power flow
• primary frequency control
• voltage constraint
• wind power curtailment