Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using

STATCOM.

1. INTRODUCTION

The causes of power quality problems are generally complex and

difficult to detect when we integrate a wind turbine to the grid. Technically
speaking, the ideal AC line supply by the utility system should be a pure sine wave
of fundamental frequency (50/60Hz). We can therefore conclude that the lack of
quality power can cause loss of production, damage of equipment or appliances or
can even be detrimental to human health. It is therefore imperative that a high
standard of power quality is maintained. This project demonstrates that the power
electronic based power conditioning using custom power devices like P-
STATCOM can be effectively utilized to improve the quality of power supplied to
the customers.
Power quality and reliability cost the industry large amounts due to
mainly sags and short-term interruptions. Distorted and unwanted voltage wave
forms, too. And the main concern for the consumers of electricity was the
reliability of supply. Here we define the reliability as the continuity of supply. The
problem of distribution lines is divided into two major categories. First group is
power quality, second is power reliability. First group consists of harmonic
distortions, impulses and swells. Second group consists of voltage sags and out
ages. Voltage sags is much more serious and can cause a large amount of damage.
If exceeds a few cycle, motors, robots, servo drives and machine tools cannot
maintain control of process.
Transmission lines are exposed to the forces of nature. Furthermore, each
transmission line has its load ability limit that is often determined by either
stability constraints or by thermal limits or by the dielectric limits. Even though the
power quality problem is distribution side problem, transmission lines are often
having an impact on the quality of the power supplied. It is however to be noted
that while most problems associated with the transmission systems arise due to
the forces of nature or due to the interconnection of power systems.
During the normal operation, wind turbine produces a continuous variable output
power. These power variations are mainly caused by the effect of turbulence, wind
shear, and tower-shadow and of control system in the power system. Thus, the
network needs to manage for such fluctuations.
The power quality issues can be viewed with respect to the wind
generation, transmission and distribution network, such as voltage sag, swells,
flickers, harmonics etc. However the wind generator introduces disturbances into
the distribution network. One of the simple methods of running a wind generating
system is to use the induction generator connected directly to the grid system. The
induction generator has inherent advantages of cost effectiveness and robustness.

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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However; induction generators require reactive power for magnetization.

When the generated active power of an induction generator is varied due to wind,
absorbed reactive power and terminal voltage of an induction generator can be
significantly affected.
A proper control scheme in wind energy generation system is required
under normal operating condition to allow the proper control over the active power
production. In the event of increasing grid disturbance, a battery energy storage
system for wind energy generating system is generally required to compensate the
fluctuation generated by wind turbine. A STATCOM based control technology has
been proposed for improving the power quality which can technically manages the
power level associates with the commercial wind turbines. The proposed
STATCOM control scheme for grid connected wind energy generation
For power quality improvement has following objectives.
• Unity power factor at the source side.
• Reactive power support only from STATCOM to wind
Generator and Load.
• Simple bang-bang controller for STATCOM to achieve fast
Dynamic response.

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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2. POWER QUALITY ISSUES AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Even a few years back, the main concern of consumers of electricity was the
reliability of supply. Here we define reliability as the continuity of electric supply.
Even through the power generation in most advanced countries is fairly reliable,
the distribution is not always so. The various power quality problems are voltage
sag, swell, interruption, voltage unbalance,flicker, and harmonics etc which are
discussed briefly.
2.1 Voltage Variation
The voltage variation issue results from the wind velocity and generator torque.
The voltage variation is directly related to real and reactive power variations. The
voltage variation is commonly classified as under:
• Voltage Sag/Voltage Dips.
• Voltage Swells.
• Short Interruptions.
• Long duration voltage variation.
The voltage flicker issue describes dynamic variations in the network caused by
wind turbine or by varying loads. Thus the power fluctuation from wind turbine
occurs during continuous operation. The amplitude of voltage fluctuation depends
on grid strength, network impedance, and phase-angle and power factor of the
wind turbines. It is defined as a fluctuation of voltage in a frequency 10–35 Hz.
The Is pacifies a flicker meter that can be used to measure flicker directly.

2.2 VOLTAGE SAG

It is defined as decrease in voltage between 10 to 90% of its nominal rms voltage
at the rated power frequency i.e. 50 Hz. Voltage sag consequences are tripping of
motor etc.

2.3 VOLTAGE SWELL

Voltage swell is an increase in RMS voltage in range of 10% to 80% for duration
greater than half cycle and less than 1 minute. A swell can occur due to a single
line-to-ground fault on the system which can result temporary voltage rise on the
other un faulted phases. Swells can also be caused by switching off a large load or
switching on a large capacitor bank.

2.4 VOLTAGE INTERRUPTION

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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Voltage interruption is nothing but the supply voltage goes close to zero that means
lower than 10% of its nominal voltage. Interruptions can results the power system
faults, equipment failure, control system malfunction. Power Quality Improvement
In Grid Connected Wind Energy System 49

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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2.5 VOLTAGE UNBALANCE

Voltage unbalance is deviation in the magnitude and phase of one or more of the
phases, of a three phase supply, with respect to the magnitude of the other phase
and the normal phase angle. Voltage unbalance can cause temperature rise in
motors and can even cause a large motor to trip.

2.6 FLICKER
Flicker comes due to frequent on-off or switching regularly of large loads
connected to grid. It results in rapid variation in voltage and changing brightness of
incandescent and fluorescent lamps at consumer end.

2.7 HARMONICS
It is a sinusoidal component of a periodic wave having a frequency that is an
integral multiple of the fundamental frequency. A non-Linear element in power
systems such as power electronic devices, static power converters, arc discharge
devices etc creates harmonics in system. Harmonics cause communication
interference, heating, and malfunction of equipments.

3. STATCOM

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
STATCOM.

In1999 the first SVC with Voltage Source Converter called STATCOM
(static compensator) went into operation. The STATCOM has a characteristic
similar to the synchronous condenser, but as an electronic device it has no inertia
and is superior to the synchronous condenser in several ways, such as better
dynamics, a lower investment cost and lower operating and maintenance costs. A
STATCOM is build with Thyristors with turn-off capability like GTO or today
IGCT or with more and more IGBTs. The static line between the current
limitations has a certain steepness determining the control characteristic for the
voltage. The advantage of a STATCOM is that the reactive power provision is
independent from the actual voltage on the connection point. This can be seen in
the diagram for the maximum currents being independent of the voltage in
comparison to the SVC. This means, that even during most severe contingencies,
the STATCOM keeps its full capability.
In the distributed energy sector the usage of Voltage Source Converters
for grid interconnection is common practice today. The next step in STATCOM
development is the combination with energy storages on the DC-side. The
performance for power quality and balanced network operation can be improved
much more with the combination of active and reactive power.

Fig.3.STATCOM structure and voltage / current characteristic

STATCOMs are based on Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC) topology and utilize
either Gate-Turn-off Thyristors (GTO or Isolated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT)
The STATCOM is a very fast acting, electronic equivalent of a synchronous
condenser. If the STATCOM voltage, Vs, (which is proportional to the dc bus
voltage Vc) is larger than bus voltage, Es, then leading or capacitive VARS are
produced. If Vs is smaller then Es then lagging or inductive VARS are produced.
1) Exchange of reactive power:- If the output voltage of the voltage source
converter is greater than the system voltage then the SATCOM will act as
capacitor and generate reactive power(i.e.. provide lagging current to the system)

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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2) Exchange of real power: - As the switching devices are not loss less there is a
need for the DC capacitor to provide the required real power to the switches. For
long duration of real power requirement even after the primary supply failed back
up energy storage system (BESS) is used. Hence there is a need for real power
exchange with an AC system to make the capacitor voltage constant in case of
direct voltage control. There is also a real power exchange with the AC system if
STATCOM is provided with an external DC source to regulate the voltage in case
of very low voltage in the distribution system or in case of faults.

4. TOPOLOGY FOR POWER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

The STATCOM based current control voltage source inverter injects the current
into the grid in such a way that the source current are harmonic free and their
phase-angle with respect to source voltage has a desired value. The injected current
will cancel out the reactive part and harmonic part of the load and induction
generator current, thus it improves the power factor and the power quality. To
accomplish these goals, the grid voltages are sensed and are synchronized in
generating the current command for the inverter. The proposed grid connected
system is implemented for power quality improvement at point of common

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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coupling (PCC), as shown in Figure The grid connected system in Figure.1consists

of wind energy generation system and battery energy storage system with
STATCOM.

4.1Wind Energy Generating System:

In this configuration, wind generations are based on constant speed topologies with
pitch control turbine. The induction generator is used in the proposed scheme
because of its simplicity, it does not require a separate field circuit, it can accept
constant and variable loads, and has natural protection against short circuit. The
available power of wind energy system is presented as under in (1)
𝑃𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 =1/2𝜌𝐴𝑉WIND3 ----- (1)
Figure.1 Grid connected system for power quality improvement where 𝜌 (kg/m ) is
the air density and A (m ) is the area swept out by turbine blade, 𝑉WIND is the
wind speed in mtr/s. It is not possible to extract all kinetic energy of wind, thus it
extract a fraction of power in wind, called power coefficient Cp of the wind
turbine, and is given in(2)
Pmech=CpPwind -------(2)
where Cp is the power coefficient, depends on type and operating condition of
wind turbine. This coefficient can be express as a function of tip speed ratio λ and
pitch angle θ.The mechanical power produce by wind turbine is given in (3)
Pmech=1/2πR2Vwind 3Cp ------(3)
Where R is the radius of the blade (m)

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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Fig.2. Grid connected system for power quality improvement

4.2 BESS-STATCOM:
The applications of the BESS-STATCOM are
As following,
● Power quality improvement
● Load shifting
● Peak power shaving
● Uninterrupted power supply
● Intermittency mitigation
● Frequency regulation
The battery energy storage system (BESS) is used as an energy storage element for
the purpose of voltage regulation. The BESS will naturally maintain dc capacitor
voltage constant and is best suited in STATCOM since it rapidly injects or
absorbed reactive power to stabilize the grid system. It also controls the
distribution and transmission system in a very fast rate.

Fig.3. Battery Energy Storage System

When power fluctuation occurs in the system, the BESS can be used to level the
power fluctuation by charging and discharging operation. The battery is connected
in parallel to the dc capacitor of STATCOM .The STATCOM is a three-phase
voltage source inverter having the capacitance on its DC link and connected at the
point of common coupling

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
STATCOM.

4.3 System Operation:

.
Fig.4. System operation

The shunt connected STATCOM with battery energy storage is connected with the
interface of the induction generator and non-linear load at the PCC in the grid
system. The STATCOM compensator output is varied according to the controlled
strategy, so as to maintain the power quality norms in the grid system. The current
control strategy is included in the control scheme that defines the functional
operation of the STATCOM compensator in the power system. A single
STATCOM using insulated gate bipolar transistor is proposed to have a reactive
power support, to the induction generator and to the nonlinear load in the grid
system.

4.4 CONTROL SCHEME

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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Figure.5. control system scheme

The control scheme approach is based on injecting the currents into the grid using
―bang-bang controller. The controller uses a hysteresis current controlled
technique. Using such technique, the controller keeps the control system variable
between boundaries of hysteresis area and gives correct switching signals for
STATCOM operation. The control system scheme for generating this witching
signal to the STATCOM is shown in Figure.5The control algorithm needs the
measurements of several variables such as three phase source current, DC voltage,
inverter current with the help of sensor. The current control block, receives an
input of reference current and actual current are subtracted so as to activate the
operation of STATCOM in current control mode.

A. Grid Synchronization:
In three-phase balance system, the RMS voltage source amplitude is calculated at
the sampling frequency from the source phase voltage (Vsa,Vsb,Vsc) and is
expressed, as sample template Vsm, sampled peak voltage, as in (4)
Vsm={2/3[Vsa2+ Vsb2+ Vsc2]}1/2 --------(4)
The in-phase unit vectors are obtained from AC source—phase voltage and the
RMS value of unit vector usa,usb,usc as shown in (5)
usa== Vsa/ Vsm
usb= Vsb/ Vsm
usc= Vsc/ Vsm
The in-phase generated reference currents are derived using in-phase unit voltage
template as, in (6)

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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usa*=I. usa
usb*=I. usb
usc*=I. usc
Where I is proportional to magnitude of filtered source voltage for respective
phases. This ensures that the source current is controlled to be Sinusoidal. The unit
vectors implement the important function in the grid connection for the
synchronization for STATCOM. This method is simple, robust and favorable as
compared with other methods.

B] Bang-Bang Current Controller

In control theory, a bang–bang controller (on–off controller), also known as a
hysteresis controller, is a feedback controller that switches abruptly between two
states. These controllers may be realized in terms of any element that provides
hysteresis. They are often used to control a plant that accepts a binary input, for
example a furnace that is either completely on or completely off. Most common
residential thermostats are bang–bang controllers. The Heaviside step function in
its discrete form is an example of a bang–bang control signal. Due to the
discontinuous control signal, systems that include bang–bang controllers are
variable structure systems, and bang–bang controllers are thus variable structure
controllers. Thus the ON/OFF switching signals for IGBT of STATCOM are
derived from hysteresis controller .The switching function for phase ‗a ‘is
expressed as
isa < (isa*-HB) SA=0
isb < (isb*-HB) SA=1
here HB is a hysteresis current-band, similarly the
Switching function can be derived for phase’s ―b‖
And ―c‖.

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5. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

The proposed control scheme is simulated using SIMULINK in power system

block set. The system parameter for given system is given Table

` 5.1 Voltage Source Current Control—Inverter Operation

The three phase injected current into the grid from STATCOM will cancel out the
distortion caused by the nonlinear load and wind generator. The IGBT based three-
phase inverter is connected to grid through the transformer. The generation of
switching signals from reference current is simulated within hysteresis band of
0.08. The choice of narrow hysteresis band switching in the system improves the
current quality. The control signal of switching frequency within its operating
band, as shown in Fig. 5.The choice of the current band depends on the operating
voltage and the interfacing transformer impedance. The compensated current for
the nonlinear load and demanded reactive power is provided by the inverter. The
real power transfer from

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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Fig.6. switching signal within a control hysteresis band.

The battery is also supported by the controller of this inverter. The three phase
inverter injected current are shown in Fig. 6.

5.2 STATCOM—Performance under Load Variations

The wind energy generating system is connected with grid having the
nonlinear load. The performance of the system is measured by switching the
STATCOM at time s in the system and how the STATCOM responds to the step
change command for increase in additional load at 1.0 s is shown in the simulation.
When STATCOM controller is made ON, without change in any other load
condition parameters, it starts to mitigate for reactive demand as well as harmonic
current. The dynamic performance is also carried out by step change in a load,
when applied at 1.0 s. This additional demand is fulfill by STATCOM
compensator. Thus, STATCOM can regulate the available real power from source.
The result of source current, load current are shown in Fig. 7(a) and (b)
respectively. While the result of injected current from STATCOM is shown in Fig.
7(c) and the generated current from wind generator at PCC are depicted in Fig.
7(d).
The DC link voltage regulates the source current in the grid system, so the
DC link voltage is maintained constant across the capacitor as shown in Fig.8(a).
The current through the dc link capacitor indicating the charging and discharging
operation as shown in Fig.8(b)

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Fig.7. (a) Source Current. (b) Load Current. (c) Inverter Injected Current. (d)Wind
generator (Induction generator) current

Fig.8. (a) DC link voltage. (b) Current through Capacitor

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Power quality issue with grid connected wind energy system by using
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6. CONCLUSION

Power quality improvement in grid connected wind generating system

and with nonlinear load. The power quality issues and its consequences on the
consumer and electric utility are presented. The operation of the control system
developed for the STATCOM in MATL SIMULINK for maintaining the power
quality is to be simulated. It has a capability to cancel out the harmonic parts of the
load current. It maintains the source voltage and current in-phase and support the
reactive power demand for the wind generator and load at PCC in the grid system,
thus it gives an opportunity to enhance the utilization factor of transmission line.
Thus the integrated wind generation and FACTS device with BESS have shown
the outstanding performance in maintaining the voltage profile as per requirement.
Thus the proposed scheme in the grid connected system fulfils the power quality
requirements and maintains the grid voltage free from distortion and harmonics.

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and Gerard ledwich, Springer International Edition.

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