It is now more than a decade since distributed generation (DG) began to excite major interest amongst electric power system planners and operators, energy policy makers and regulators as well as developers. This paper presents an overview of the key issues concerning the integration of distributed generation into electric power systems that are of most interest today. The main drivers behind the focus on DG integration, especially of the renewable type, in many countries around the world are discussed. A synopsis of the main challenges that must be overcome in the process is presented. Particular emphasis is placed on the need to move away from the fit and forget approach of connecting DG to electric power systems to a policy of integrating DG into power system planning and operation through active management of distribution networks and application of other novel concepts. The paper also analyses the repercussions in transmission system operation and expansion that result from the connection of large amounts of DG of different energy conversion systems focusing on issues related with impacts in steady state operation, contingency analysis, protection coordination as well as dynamic behaviour analysis. A discussion on the possibility of provision of ancillary services by DG is also included. Some results from studies performed in the interconnected Portuguese transmission system are presented and discussed. Some of the opportunities that could be exploited in support of the integration and hence greater penetration of DG into electric power systems are also explored.
It is now recognized that many large wind farms will employ doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) variable speed wind turbines. A number of such wind farms are already in operation and more are planned or under construction. With the rising penetration of wind power into electricity networks, increasingly comprehensive studies are required to identify the interaction between the wind farm(s) and the power system. These require accurate models of doubly fed induction generator wind turbines and their associated control and protection circuits. A dynamic model has been derived, which can be used to simulate the DFIG wind turbine using a single-cage and double-cage representation of the generator rotor, as well as a representation of its control and protection circuits. The model is suitable for use in transient stability programs that can be used to investigate large power systems. The behavior of a wind farm and the network under various system disturbances was studied using this dynamic model. The influence of the DFIG control on the stability of the wind farm was also investigated by considering different control gains and by applying network voltage control through both stator side and rotor side converters.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.