Inverter generator sets for grids carrying heavy-load users

Abstract

Inverter generator sets (GS) are increasingly common in the electricity industry. The paper dwells upon the core advantages and issues of integrating inverter generator sets that must be considered at the design stage to make informed decisions. The authors present examples of computing the electrical parameters of inverter generator sets in a variety of operating situations. The calculated electromechanical transients show inverter GS’s are more efficient compared to conventional synchronous generators for grid nodes that are ‘weakly connected’ to the grid as well as for islanded operation. The paper further proves that automatic control systems of GS inverters can feasibly feature parameter control laws that conform to the general and additional requirements of the system, which in turn are based on the parameter calculations. It shows that a feasibility study is needed to decide whether to use inverter GS’s.