Optimal Microgrid–Interactive Reactive Power Management for Day–Ahead Operation

Abstract

The replacement of conventional generation sources by DER creates the need to carefully manage the reactive power maintaining the power system safe operation. The principal trend is to increase the DER volume connected to the distribution network in the coming years. Therefore, the microgrid represents an alternative to offer reactive power management due to excellent controllability features embedded in the DER, which enable effective interaction between the microgrid and the distribution network. This paper proposes a microgrid−iterative reactive power management approach of power-electronic converter based renewable technologies for day-ahead operation. It is designed to be a centralised control based on local measurements, which provides the optimal reactive power dispatch and minimise the total energy losses inside the microgrid and maintain the voltage profile within operational limits. The proposed optimal-centralised control is contrasted against seven local reactive power controls using a techno-economic approach considering the steady−state voltage profile, the energy losses, and the reactive power costs as performance metrics. Three different reactive power pricing are proposed. The numerical results demonstrate the optimal microgrid−interactive reactive power management is the most suitable techno-economic reactive power control for the day−ahead operation.

Assessment of Daily Cost of Reactive Power Procurement by Smart Inverters

“…Although these devices demonstrate effective reactive power injection/absorption when needed and maintain the voltage within its operational limits, the cost of its implementation can result economically ineffective [13]. In contrast, the massive penetration of DERs in the power system offers the opportunity to exploit the controllability features of the smart inverters already installed in the distribution network to reactive power control in a cost-effective way [14]. Therefore, in this paper, eight different reactive power control mechanisms provided by the smart inverters are evaluated.…”

“…Over-excited (injecting) Further information on the main features of each reactive power control strategy is addressed in [14,15].…”

Short-Circuit Analysis of DER-Based Microgrids in Connected and Islanded Modes of Operation

“…Through their on-site generation, DERs aim to reduce power losses and enhance the reliability of distribution systems. As distributed generators (DGs) are much closer to the customers, power losses are significantly reduced compared to passive distribution systems, where the entire generation comes from the transmission grid [1, [22][23][24]. Nonetheless, emerging energy storages aim to provide backup generation to the consumers even if the DGs are 100% renewable-based, and highly dependent on the weather conditions (such as solar and wind).…”

On Short Circuit of Grid-Forming Converters Controllers: A glance of the Dynamic Behaviour

“…Finally, the customer is no longer a passive party in the power system, the integration of embedded generation (EG), the massive deployment of electric vehicles (EV) and electrical energy storage (EES), all those technologies and the changes in the customer behaviour make the costumer a prosumer, an entity who both consumers and produces electricity. There is a common element at the heart of these changes, and that is the massive deployment of power electronic converter interfaced technologies [2], [3]. Modern generation and storage technologies take advantages of the power electronic converter (PEC) to deliver more controllable electricity and the time to interface renewable resources and energy storage.…”