576 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID, VOL. 6, NO.

2, MARCH 2015

Integration of Distributed Generation in the

Volt/VAR Management System for Active
Distribution Networks
Johanna Barr and Ritwik Majumder, Member, IEEE

Abstract—This paper investigates the use of voltage source Vqref q component of voltage reference.
converter interfaced distributed generators (DGs) for reactive Vref Voltage reference.
power support in active distribution networks. Integration of DG Vpcc Voltage at point of common coupling.
management systems into decentralized parts of the Volt/VAR
management system is proposed. The solution is designed to Vdnew New d component of voltage.
address issues connected to increased DG penetration, while at Vqnew New q component of voltage.
the same time avoiding the technical challenges and high costs ω Angular frequency.
related to state-of-the-art model-based Volt/VAR management.
Coordination of DGs with conventional voltage regulation equip- I. I NTRODUCTION
ment is based on predefined control hierarchies. However, to
N RECENT years, the penetration of distributed genera-
reduce requirements for data handling capability, the distribu-
tion grid is divided into zones with individual voltage regulation
and reactive support schemes. To add flexibility and scalability,
I tion in medium and low voltage (MV and LV) networks
has increased significantly. Awareness of the environmental
these zones can be combined into larger zones with a common impacts of fossil-fueled generation leading to more ambitious
Volt/VAR management scheme. This is referred to as adaptive energy policies, and deregulation of electricity markets all over
zoning. The results indicate that the control schemes success-
fully restore voltage to within limits after disturbance of grid the world have been a major drivers for renewable energy
conditions. Adaptive zoning effectively reduces system complex- technology development [1]–[4]. At present, most distributed
ity and requirements for data handling capability, while still generators (DGs) are connected passively to the grid [4]–[6].
ensuring a grid-wide solution. This considerably limits DG penetration, because of the pos-
Index Terms—Active distribution network, distributed sible negative impacts on voltage profiles and existing voltage
generation (DG), reactive power support, Volt/VAR management regulation from unpredictable power flows [2], [7], [8].
system, voltage source converter (VSC). Voltage regulation in traditional distribution grids is
relatively simple and typically involves on-load tap
N OMENCLATURE changers (OLTCs) and switched shunt capacitor banks
acting on local control commands [7], [9]. However, by
Id d component of current.
actively controlling DG output, DGs can contribute to
Iq q component of current.
voltage regulation at the point of common coupling (PCC)
Idref d component of current reference.
and help mitigate the negative effects caused by its own
Iqref q component of current reference.
penetration. Dynamic reactive power support from DGs in
LDG Reactance of distributed generator.
active distribution networks has been researched extensively.
P Active power.
Rogers et al. [10] recognized the increase of power electronics
Pout Output active power.
interfaced energy resources on residential voltage levels and
Pref Active power reference.
the possibility to use these for reactive power support to
Q Reactive power.
mitigate voltage collapses. A centralized management of
Qout Output reactive power.
the resources was proposed, but this management was also
Qref Reactive power reference.
identified as the main challenge as the complexity increases
Vd d component of voltage.
with the number of devices. Also in [11], a centralized control
Vq q component of voltage.
system was proposed for DGs, but in the MV network. The
Vdref d component of voltage reference.
suggested control scheme adjusted reactive power injections
Manuscript received November 20, 2013; revised April 25, 2014 and from DGs by controlling power factor and coordinated several
August 8, 2014; accepted October 9, 2014. Date of publication October 31, DGs by means of sensitivity analysis. However, the method
2014; date of current version February 16, 2015. Paper no. TSG-00865-2013. did not include fast and dynamic voltage response. In [12], an
J. Barr is with Statkraft, Oslo 0216, Norway (e-mail:
[email protected]). inverter control strategy was proposed to allow DGs to pro-
R. Majumder is with ABB Corporate Research, Vasteras 723 44, Sweden vide voltage support during voltage sags. Delfino et al. [13]
(e-mail: [email protected]). developed a model to evaluate the limitations of real and
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available
online at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org. reactive power injections from photovoltaic units providing
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TSG.2014.2363051 reactive power support.
1949-3053 c 2014 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
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BARR AND MAJUMDER: INTEGRATION OF DG IN THE VOLT/VAR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 577

A fair amount of research has shown that also actively con-

trolled DGs can interfere with existing voltage regulation if
devices act on local control criteria [2], [8], [9]. Coordination
of DGs (not specifically controlled for voltage regulation
purposes) with OLTCs and capacitor banks respectively is
investigated in [14] and [15]. Coordination of DGs pro-
viding reactive power support with OLTCs is investigated
in [2] and [8]. In [9], coordination of OLTCs, substation and
feeder capacitors, and DGs was investigated, with the find-
ings that the number of OLTC operations can be significantly
Fig. 1. Possible power flows on distribution grid feeder with DG.
reduced and voltage fluctuations decreased. In that study, how-
ever, the DG control mode is fixed to either constant power in grids with state-of-the-art equipment (DSTATCOMs)
factor, or constant reactive power output, or constant volt- expected to be more common in the future.
age at the PCC. In [16], reactive power support from DGs 2) A generalized theory for the division and combination
at MV level is coordinated with active power output from of zones, which is formed based on shunt and series
DG sources at LV level and with regulation from capacitor regulating device characteristics, priority and individual
banks and OLTCs, by means of evolutionary particle swarm device limits.
optimization. 3) The generalized zoning concept allows the solution
Active components in the distribution network calls for to be applied to any grid topology and reduces
enhanced operation planning and enhanced use of SCADA, as complexity compared to centralized approaches such
well as an enhanced communication infrastructure with possi- as [10] and [11]. It is feasible for gradual scaling-up
bility of real-time information exchange [7]. With this in place, or down by adding or removing control zones and
new tools for network operation can be developed. Lately, allows for minor changes in grid topology, such as the
advanced Volt/VAR management applications have received addition/removal of DG units, to be taken care of on a
much attention in distribution grid operation. local level.
The aim of this paper is to present a solution in which 4) Unlike in [17], control zone boundaries are fixed to
actively controlled DGs are integrated with the Volt/VAR reduce complexity of the control system, but zones
management system to contribute to voltage regulation in can be combined if certain network condition crite-
the distribution network. To achieve a flexible and scalable ria are fulfilled. The ability to combine zones pro-
solution while minimizing complexity and requirements for vides flexibility in voltage regulation and reactive power
data-handling capability, DG management systems are inte- control, while reduced complexity reduces ICT costs and
grated with decentralized parts of the Volt/VAR management increases speed of control. It is assumed that a tariff sys-
system in smaller geographical zones. A similar concept was tem is in place, which to some extent benefits production
presented in [17] and decentralized voltage control and power- of reactive power from DGs. The solution is validated by
flow management in distribution grids with DGs has been simulations in a modified version of the IEEE 34-node
proposed in a number of recent studies [18]–[20]. The main test feeder.
differences from [17] are as follows.
1) In [17], only DGs are considered in the proposed control II. VOLTAGE R EGULATION IN D ISTRIBUTION
scheme and reactive power support from DGs is always N ETWORKS W ITH DG S
prioritized over OLTC action.
2) In [17], control zones are only formed where DGs are A. Impact of DGs on Distribution Network Operation
connected and are changing in real-time according to Traditional distribution system operation is based on unidi-
network conditions. rectional power flows from high voltage (HV) transmission
The main contributions from this paper are as follows. networks to end-users connected to MV and LV feeders.
1) The DG management integration to decentralized Changes in power demand are compensated at transmis-
Volt/VAR control with multilayer control approach sion level and the distribution network distributes power
based on available controllable devices, also includ- while maintaining voltages and currents within allowed limits.
ing OLTCs/voltage regulators (VRs), shunt capacitor Voltage regulation in distribution networks is therefore rel-
banks and distribution static synchronous compen- atively simple and involves mainly OLTCs, line VRs, and
sators (DSTATCOMs). Several approaches have been switched or fixed capacitor banks.
suggested where DG management has been coordinated With the introduction of DGs in MV and LV networks, the
with one or two types of voltage regulation devices, such possibility of bidirectional power flow occurs (Fig. 1). This
as in [2], [8], [9], [14]–[16], and [19]. Just as in pre- might cause overvoltages and might interfere with traditional
viously presented approaches, this concept reduces the voltage regulation.
need for installing new Volt/VAR control equipment by
using existing DGs. In contrast to previously presented B. Reactive Power Support From Actively Controlled DGs
solutions, this concept can feasibly be applied in grid Because of the possible negative impacts, a fairly low
topologies with traditional voltage regulation as well as penetration of passively integrated DGs can be allowed in

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578 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID, VOL. 6, NO. 2, MARCH 2015

Fig. 3. DG control in voltage reference (V ref ) mode.

 
Kiq
Iqref = Kq + (Qref − Qout ) (2)
s

Qref ≤ Srated
2 − P2ref (3)
 
Kiv  
Qref = Kv + Vref − Vpcc (4)
s
Fig. 2. Control scheme of a DG in power reference (Pref ) mode.  
Kivd
Vdnew = Vd + Kvd + (Idref − Id ) − Iq ωLDG (5)
s
traditional distribution systems. However, if DGs are actively  
Kivq  
controlled, the benefits of distributed generation can be Vqnew = Vq + Kvq + Iqref − Iq + Id ωLDG (6)
ensured and the penetration can be allowed to increase. With s
the proper market models and regulation in place, DGs could where the K:s are controller gains.
be used for reactive power (Q) support in addition to active
power (P) production [21]. C. Other Voltage Regulation Equipment
The voltage source converter (VSC) interface is often pre-
ferred for integration of actively controlled DGs, since it It is important to note that reactive power support from DGs
offers the highest controllability compared to other interfac- might interfere with existing voltage regulation equipment.
ing technologies [3], [22]. Today, the IEEE standard 1547 [23] Therefore, the management of actively controlled DGs should
does not allow DGs to actively regulate voltage, but it is cur- be coordinated with the operation of other voltage regula-
rently being updated to address these questions and in some tion devices. The voltage regulation devices considered in this
countries DGs are already required to provide active voltage paper are as follows: 1) OLTCs/VRs and capacitor banks (as
regulation. Consequently, this paper deals with VSC-interfaced key equipment in distribution system voltage regulation); and
DGs in grid-supporting mode. 2) DSTATCOMs (as they are increasingly considered for use
Converter control for DGs can be implemented in many in distribution grids).
ways. A simple control scheme with reference signals Capacitor banks and DSTATCOMs are connected in shunt
for P and Q (Pref and Qref ) is presented in Fig. 2. with power lines and regulate voltage by providing reactive
Equations (1) and (2) are control equations for the generation power support, while OLTCs/VRs are connected in series
of Idref and Iqref . This control mode is referred to as power ref- and regulate voltage directly. The different types of devices
erence or Pref mode. The reference signal for Q is generated are therefore referred to as shunt and series devices in
as in (3) from Pref and is based on the available current limit this paper.
headroom after injection of active power. In normal opera-
tion, Pref is the rated power output of the generator. Pref could III. C HALLENGES IN VOLT /VAR M ANAGEMENT AT
also be used to curtail power output or to regulate frequency, H IGH DG P ENETRATION
though it is not discussed in this paper. For a fixed power
Volt/VAR management is the process of optimizing power
factor operating mode the current control changes the reactive
flows while maintaining acceptable voltages at all buses in the
power with the available active power within the current limit.
system. Presently, the two main challenges for Volt/VAR man-
The other alternative is to modulate the reactive power based
agement are: 1) the impact on existing Volt/VAR management
on local voltage with a limited relaxation in active power.
from increased DG penetration and 2) how to integrate power
P and Q can also be controlled with the aim to maintain
electronics interfaced DGs into Volt/VAR management [24].
a certain voltage at the PCC. In this case, a reference for
Generally, there are three control strategies for Volt/VAR
Q is generated from the error between the voltage reference
management [25]–[27], which are as follows:
signal (Vref ) and the actual voltage (Vpcc ) (Figs. 3 and 4). In 1) independent and local control of compensation devices;
both control modes, a new reference signal for the VSC output 2) centralized control based on a predefined set of rules,
voltage is generated via (5) and (6) including some extent of coordination between devices
 
Kip of the same kind, for example a number of capacitor
Idref = Kp + (Pref − Pout ) (1)
s banks along a feeder;

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BARR AND MAJUMDER: INTEGRATION OF DG IN THE VOLT/VAR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 579

Fig. 4. Control hierarchy for DGs and capacitor banks.

TABLE I
E XISTING VOLT /VAR M ANAGEMENT M ETHODS

3) distribution system model-based Volt/VAR management, connected to increased DG penetration, while at the same time
utilizing real-time data, state estimation, and online avoiding the challenges related to state-of-the-art model-based
power-flow calculations. Volt/VAR management.
The advantages and limitations of the three methods are Actively controlled DGs are coordinated with conventional
listed in Table I [25]. None of the two first alternatives consid- voltage regulation devices to provide reactive power support
ers issues related to integration of distributed generation, since without interfering with the function of existing equipment.
they were developed previous to large-scale penetration of Similar to centralized Volt/VAR management, the coordination
DGs. The third and most modern alternative allows integration follows control schemes based on predefined rules. The control
of DGs as providers of reactive power support in Volt/VAR schemes are referred to as control hierarchies. To create mod-
management. However, solutions that can avoid/reduce the ularity, the distribution grid is divided into zones. Each zone
technical challenges and high costs of model-based Volt/VAR has its individual and decentralized Volt/VAR control scheme.
management should be of high interest for distribution system In some cases several zones might be affected by a distur-
operators (DSOs). bance or there might be similar disturbances in adjacent zones.
To ensure efficient voltage regulation in these cases a concept
IV. P ROPOSED C OORDINATED C ONTROL AND has been introduced, which allows zones to be combined into
A DAPTIVE Z ONING larger zones with a common Volt/VAR control scheme. This
The solution presented in this paper proposes integration concept is named adaptive zoning and shares some features
of DG management systems into decentralized parts of a with model-based Volt/VAR management in that it requires
Volt/VAR management system. It is designed to address issues extensive control and communication technology to be in

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580 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID, VOL. 6, NO. 2, MARCH 2015

place. However, since the system design is modular, the dis-

tribution system-wide computations of model-based Volt/VAR
management are avoided. Adaptive zoning only combines as
many adjacent zones as is required to solve the occurred volt-
age deviations and therefore keeps control as local as possible.
If voltage exceeds limits in three zones for example, voltages
and regulation devices only within these zones need to be
considered when finding the subsequent control action.
The benefits of the proposed solution compared to previous
Volt/VAR management systems are as follows.
1) Less Complex Computations: Because control hierar-
chies and zones are predefined, the suggested solution
will result in less complexity compared to a solution
where control zones are continuously redefined and
where control action is evaluated on a case-to-case basis
instead of following a set of predetermined rules.
2) Lower amounts of data to handle since control action
is carried out within the decentralized control zones,
the contrast being a model-based Volt/VAR manage-
ment system evaluating data from much larger areas with
many more devices. Fig. 5. Logic for coordination of shunt and series devices.
3) Based on the two points above, cost for the proposed
system is thought to be lower than for a model-based
Volt/VAR management system. Control, information, 1) Of all shunt regulation devices in a zone located at the
and communication technology cost depends largely on same distance from the critical node, the DGs should
distance and solutions for shorter distances (smaller con- regulate last.
trol systems with less communication technology) can 2) If shunt devices are located at different distances from
achieve considerable cost reductions. the critical node, the closest device should regulate first.
4) Scalable and Flexible: Since control is zone-based, the 3) Local shunt regulation should always be used before
solution allows for gradual addition (or removal) of new series regulation in a zone with both shunt and series
control zones. devices, since this minimizes reactive power flows. The
It must be noted that detailed techno-economic analysis is exception is DGs that should regulate after both con-
outside scope of project. ventional shunt regulation and series regulation devices
The following sections describe the coordination control have been used.
hierarchies, as well as when and how zones are combined In some cases, OLTC duty might be reduced if DGs would
according to the adaptive zoning concept. adjust reactive power output before OLTCs are used. However,
the suggested method assumes that DGs are prioritized to
A. Control Hierarchies supply active power, which is why other voltage regulation
Control hierarchies determine in what order the devices devices are activated first. An example of a control hierarchy
within a zone should contribute to voltage regulation in case for a zone with only shunt devices (in this example DGs and
of a disturbance such as a sudden load increase or a DG output capacitor banks) is presented in Fig. 4. (The control hierar-
change. For all regulation action, it is assumed that we want chy assumes that all capacitor banks are disconnected before
to maintain voltage within some limits. These limits could be disturbance and that all DGs are in Pref mode.) The control
the ±10% of the EN 50160 standard or they could be defined logic for a zone containing both shunt and series devices is
by the local utility standards. There is a different control hier- presented in Fig. 5.
archy for each combination of shunt devices. If a series device
is present in the zone, a separate logic is used to determine B. Adaptive Zoning
the control action. This section describes the following. 1) definition and loca-
All control hierarchies have similar structures (Fig. 4): there tion of different types of zones; 2) what conditions zones
are two different control hierarchies depending on device dis- should be combined; 3) voltage regulation strategy for com-
tance from the critical node (devices are at the same distance bined zones; and 4) practical considerations of adaptive
or at different distances from the critical node). Control layer 1 zoning.
represents the control action that should be carried out first, Zones can be located in series or in parallel. An OLTC or
layer 2 the control action that should be carried out if the first a VR separates two zones located in series, whereas zones
action cannot fully compensate the voltage change, layer 3 is in parallel are connected to the same PCC. (Parallel parts
activated if the second control action is insufficient, and so on. of feeders with the same PCC do not always have to be in
The control hierarchies are created based on the principles separate zones. This depends on the length and the impedance
listed below. of the feeder parts and whether there is any regulation devices

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BARR AND MAJUMDER: INTEGRATION OF DG IN THE VOLT/VAR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 581

all nodes. Nodes where critical loads, DGs, or regulation

devices are connected should always be equipped with monitor
and communication possibilities. Depending on the network
configuration, also other important nodes can be selected for
monitoring.
When implementing adaptive zoning, a number of practical
aspects will have to be considered.
1) Zone Division: Zones might not always be divided by a
VR/OLTC or at a PCC of parallel feeders. Electrical
Fig. 6. IEEE 34-node test feeder divided into zones. distance needs to be considered when defining zone
boundaries and a radial feeder might be divided into
two zones without a VR/OLTC being located somewhere
along it, at the point of maximum reach of reactive
compensation devices.
2) Control Zone Addition/Reprogramming: To avoid hav-
ing to reprogram the control hierarchies at the addition
of each new DG unit, several DGs should be added at
the same time. Until DGs are added to the control sys-
tem they have to work in traditional curtailment mode
and have to be treated as passive network components.
If enough DGs and/or voltage regulation devices are
added to a part of the grid that is not yet part of the
adaptive zoning system, a new zone can be created and
Fig. 7. Two parallel zones that should be combined according to adaptive coordinated with adjacent zones.
zoning. 3) Control Center Location: An important practical con-
sideration is where to place the control centers for each
zone and which control centers should be responsible for
located along them.) Fig. 6 shows the modified IEEE 34-node combining zones when feasible. The distribution con-
test feeder, which is divided into three zones in series accord- trol center will be implemented in the substations and
ing to these principles (Zones 1–3). Zone 3 also contains two depending on the substation location a higher one might
parallel zones (Zones 4 and 5). lead the instructions. However, the control instructions
Combining zones means that the decentralized Volt/VAR go through the lower control center. The combination is
control schemes are coordinated. Zones are combined when only done in terms of control logic.
certain requirements are fulfilled about voltage deviations at 4) Dynamic Network Topologies: In meshed distribution
nodes within the zones. The requirements differ for zones grids that can switch network topology for protection
located in parallel and in series. purposes, these possible topology changes and how they
Parallel zones are combined if V > 0 (i.e., a voltage affect zone boundaries need to be taken into account.
rise) at all nodes in both zones or V < 0 (i.e., a voltage Where this is the case, it adds some complexity to
drop) at all nodes in both zones, and at least one node is the concept. However, since the number of alternative
outside voltage regulation limits in both zones. Voltage needs grid topologies in distribution networks usually is very
to be regulated in the same direction in both zones and it limited, so is the impact on complexity of the control
is therefore possible to use a regulation device at or very schemes.
close to the PCC, in addition to the devices within the zones. 5) Third Party Ownership: Third party DG owners must be
Fig. 7 shows an example of two zones in parallel that should prepared to allow utility access to and control of their
be combined: Zones 1 and 2 consist of two parallel feeders DG units. As mentioned, it is in this paper assumed that
with three nodes each and voltage is outside limits in both a tariff system in place that reimburses DG owners for
zones. reactive as well as active power, but the details of such
The prerequisite for combining two zones in series is that a system are outside the scope of this paper.
voltage is outside regulation limits at one or more nodes in
both zones. If voltage is outside limits in only one of the C. Systems With Intermittent Energy Sources
zones, regulation should be carried out within the individual Power output from intermittent DGs varies and therefore,
zone with available shunt devices. Even in the case when zones the impact from the DGs on line power flow as well as line
in series are combined, conventional shunt devices should be voltage. While the real-power deficiency is tackled with main
used prior to OLTCs or VRs. As a last option, available DGs grid, storage, and load shedding, reactive power shortage is pri-
can be used for voltage regulation. marily solved with other distribution equipment as described
To be able to know when to combine zones, voltage has in Section IV-A. If the fluctuation is below the Volt/VAR
to be monitored at many nodes in the distribution system. management control bandwidth, storage is one of the key
However, it should not be necessary to monitor voltage at components used to compensate for that. A high penetration

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582 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID, VOL. 6, NO. 2, MARCH 2015

of DGs with variable power thus requires more storage for based on the DGs, loads, and capacitors connected. It must be
leveling and firming. One possible storage product for such noted that in either case, the proposed zone-based control can
scenarios is PowerStore, which injects real and reactive power be adopted to solve the Volt/VAR management within a zone
based on continuous frequency and voltage fluctuation [28]. and depending on the current tap positions of the regulators,
Furthermore, in the proposed control method DGs can actu- they can be coordinated to provide the reactive support.
ally compensate their own sudden power output changes by 3) Time Delay: The time delay is the delay in seconds that
adjusting the relation between active and reactive power out- the regulator control waits after the voltage deviation before
put. For slower variations of power flow and voltage (within tap change, to avoid the transient voltage fluctuation. In case
bandwidth and beyond time delays), the capacitors and regula- of series operation of regulators, time delays can be set in two
tors participate in reactive support and voltage profiling. With ways as bandwidth. Having the substation regulator respond-
advanced switched capacitors and power electronic tap chang- ing first would help the feeder regulator to have the headroom
ers it is possible to achieve a much improved device control after correction. On the other hand, a faster feeder regulator
for the proposed method in those scenarios. would first work locally. This may be effective in many situa-
Advanced capacitor banks are available with a power cir- tions with frequent local voltage variation (e.g., an intermittent
cuit breaker, protection and control panel (e.g., ABB Modular DG with variable power output).
Capacitor Bank) and there are some capacitors for vari- 4) Line Compensation: Line compensation may be used if
able load application (e.g., ABB Dynacomp). These offer the regulators are intended to control voltage at some par-
power factor compensation and reduction of voltage drops ticular point down the feeder. But for local voltage control
with transient-free switching and advanced communication of the regulator no line compensation is used. Both types
features, among other things. can be used for zone-based control. It must be noted that
Power electronics tap changers are still in research and in this paper line compensation has not been used. If line
not yet commercially available. The main advantage is lower compensation is used, it is important to adapt the compen-
losses and four quadrant operation. These tap changers can sation factor while combining the zones and regulating a
work much faster, without significant jitters and can easily be voltage at a different point depending on the distance and line
integrated to Volt/VAR management system solutions via com- impedance.
munications. Further information can be found in [29]–[31]. 5) Operating Modes: There are various operating modes
possible with the VRs. With the proposed method and in pres-
D. Selection of Controllers ence of DGs, the VR operates in bidirectional or cogeneration
It must be noted that the controller selection for regulators, mode depending on the DG owners. For a third-party power
OLTCs, capacitor bank has significant impact on the Volt/VAR producer the VR is operated in cogeneration mode. As in this
control of the proposed method. The most important settings paper, all the DGs are assumed either to be owned by a utility
for the regulators are set voltage, bandwidth, time delay, and or integrated to the DSO energy management system and only
line compensations. A brief discussion of these settings for bidirectional mode is considered.
the proposed method is given below. The capacitors in this paper are controlled based on the local
1) Set Voltage: The set voltage for each of the regula- voltage measurement for VAR support. They are automatically
tors is calculated based on the distribution transformer ratio, switched in in heavy load period and switched off at light
VR ratio, and the base voltage. The set voltage is controlled load period. They can be also controlled with local or remote
through the VR ratio and it must be ensured that the set control, voltage or temperature override, adjustable over and
voltage stays in the middle of the acceptable voltage range. under voltage settings and different operations counters. In the
In special scenarios for feeders with more overvoltage or proposed method, the capacitors are switched in before DGs
LV problem, the set voltage can be set to achieve the total to improve local voltage, as the main aim for the DGs is to
VR bandwidth. provide active power.
2) Bandwidth: The bandwidth is the voltage range around The actual parameter selection will largely depend on the
set voltage, which the regulator can control. Usual 5/8% taps system structure. The key steps in the controller setting are as
from minimum 2 to 32 taps are used to cover the bandwidth. follows.
The bandwidth setting in a multizone system decides which 1) Forming the set voltages in the different zones based on
regulator would respond first for a voltage deviation. In the load, DGs, and connected grid.
proposed method, if the regulators are in series the regulator 2) The set voltages can vary within the acceptable voltage
bandwidth can be controlled in two ways. In the first method, in the network and desires reactive power flow.
the regulator higher up in the distribution system will have 3) Setting the bandwidths so the feeder controller reacts
lower bandwidth than the downstream one, and will thus react first during disturbances at feeder end.
first. This ensures the headroom in the down zone with the 4) Capacitors, DGs, and other regulation devices are also
second regulator. The alternative would be to have decreas- set with control bandwidth to act based on hierarchy to
ing bandwidth from substation down along the feeder, so that inject the reactive power at the connected node.
the regulator furthest out always reacts first. In some cases 5) Time delays are set accordingly to control the activation
the disadvantage would be frequent limit-hitting of the down- time of each controller.
stream regulator. It must be noted that the actual setting of 6) The controller settings are adapted while combining two
the bandwidths for the distribution system must be selected or more zones into one.

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BARR AND MAJUMDER: INTEGRATION OF DG IN THE VOLT/VAR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 583

(a)

Fig. 8. Added devices for control hierarchy simulation.

(b)

Example controller settings for individual and combined

zones are shown in Appendix II.

V. S IMULATIONS
(c)
Time domain simulations to validate the proposed solution
have been carried out in the SimPowerSystems toolbox in the Fig. 9. Operation of capacitor bank and DG, and impact on critical node
MATLAB Simulink platform. This paper presents results from voltage. (a) RMS voltage at node 33. (b) Reactive power output of capacitor
bank. (c) Active and reactive power output of DG.
three simulations of regulation according to control hierar-
chies within one zone and one simulation of adaptive zoning
where two zones are combined. In all cases, an industrial
load increase is simulated to cause a voltage deviation out-
side regulation limits. More simulation results are presented
in [32]. (a)

A. Coordination of DG and Shunt Voltage Regulation

Device in One Zone
This case aims to show the coordination of a DG and a sec-
ond shunt device (a capacitor bank or a DSTATCOM) located (b)
at different distances from the critical node. To do this, a DG, a
capacitor bank/DSTATCOM, and an industrial load are added
to Zone 5 in the test system (Fig. 6) according to the line dia-
gram shown in Fig. 8. (Fig. 8 shows the case with a capacitor
bank.) At t = 0.2 s, the industrial load is increased by 100% (c)
and critical node voltage (node 33) drops below the lower reg-
Fig. 10. Operation of DSTATCOM and DG, and impact on critical node
ulation limit (0.96 pu). The device closest to the critical node, voltage. (a) RMS voltage at node 33. (b) Reactive power output of
in this case the capacitor bank/DSTATCOM, is connected after DSTATCOM. (c) Active and reactive power output of DG.
a time deadband of 150 ms. In neither the case with a capac-
itor bank NOR with a DSTATCOM is this regulation action
sufficient and the DG is therefore switched to voltage regu-
lation mode (Vref mode), which brings voltage back within
limits. The outputs of the devices and the subsequent impact
on voltage at node 33 are shown in Fig. 9 (with capacitor bank)
and Fig. 10 (with DSTATCOM). The large oscillation in DG
power output is largely due to the mode change from power to
voltage control mode. Optimal tuning of controllers can also
reduce oscillations. The impact of regulation actions on the
voltage profile in Zone 5 is shown in Fig. 11 (with capacitor
bank) and Fig. 12 (with DSTATCOM). For increased clarity,
the voltages at node 33 during the regulation sequence are
listed in Tables II and III.
In Appendix I, a simulation of Zone 5 with four DGs con-
nected to nodes 30–33 shows system behavior at higher DG
penetration. Fig. 11. Impact of regulation on voltage profile in case with capacitor bank.

B. Combining Two Zones According to Adaptive Zoning series devices. Two DGs, two industrial loads and a capacitor
In this case, combination of two zones in series is demon- bank are added to the IEEE test feeder (Fig. 6) as shown in
strated. It also shows an example of coordination of shunt and Fig. 13.

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584 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID, VOL. 6, NO. 2, MARCH 2015

(a)

(b)

(c)
Fig. 12. Impact of regulation on voltage profile in case with DSTATCOM.
Fig. 14. Operation of capacitor bank and VR1, and voltage at node 13.
TABLE II (a) RMS voltage at node 13. (b) Reactive power output of capacitor bank.
RMS VOLTAGE AT N ODE 33 D URING R EGULATION (c) VR1 tap setting.
(C APACITOR BANK C ASE )

Time RMS voltage (pu)

Before load increase 0.968
After load increase 0.950
After capacitor bank regulation 0.959
After DG regulation 0.965 (a)

TABLE III
RMS VOLTAGE AT N ODE 33 D URING R EGULATION (DSTATCOM C ASE )

Time RMS voltage (pu)

Before load increase 0.968
After load increase 0.950 (b)
After DSTATCOM regulation 0.953
Fig. 15. Operation of VR2 and voltage at node 20. (a) RMS voltage at
After DG regulation 0.960 node 20. (b) VR2 tap setting.

TABLE IV
RMS VOLTAGE AT N ODES 13 AND 20 D URING R EGULATION

regulation. The output of the capacitor bank, the tap settings of

VR1 and VR2, as well as the subsequent impacts on voltages
at nodes 13 and 20 are shown in Figs. 14 and 15. The voltages
at nodes 13 and 20 during the regulation sequence are listed
Fig. 13. Added devices for adaptive zoning simulation. in Table IV.
It should be noted that optimal operation of cascaded VRs
At t = 0.2 s, the two industrial loads are increased by 50% is a well-debated topic and that in some cases VRs might work
each, causing the voltage to drop below the lower regulation in opposite order from the case described here.
limit (set to 0.95 pu in this simulation) in both Zones 2 and
3. Available conventional shunt devices are activated before C. Important Findings
VRs change tap settings, i.e., the switched capacitor bank at The most important findings from the study of the proposed
node 16 is connected. Next, the upstream VR (VR1) increases control are as follows.
tap settings until voltage at node 13 is within regulation limits. 1) A reactive compensation device located at the critical
The downstream VR (VR2) adjusts voltages in Zone 3. In node can successfully be coordinated with a DG located
this case, the DGs are not required to contribute to voltage further away within the same zone to regulate voltage.

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BARR AND MAJUMDER: INTEGRATION OF DG IN THE VOLT/VAR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 585

TABLE V
E XAMPLE C ONTROLLER S ETTINGS

Fig. 16. Operation of DGs 1–4 in system with high DG penetration.

DG (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, and (d) 4 power output.

Fig. 17. RMS voltages at nodes 30–33 in system with high DG penetration.

2) DGs can successfully contribute to voltage regulation Zone 5 (Fig. 6) with an industrial load at node 33 and four DGs
and can be switched to voltage reference (Vref ) mode connected to nodes 30–33 are shown in Figs. 16 and 17. DG
without causing serious voltage drops/spikes/transients. 1 is connected closest to the industrial load, i.e., to node 33,
3) A conventional reactive compensation device in at least DG 2 is connected to node 32, DG 3 to node 31, and DG 4 to
one of several zones can minimize the use of VRs and node 30. Deadbands and voltage regulation limits differ from
avoid voltage regulation from DGs. the simulations presented in Section V-A.
4) Adaptive zoning leads to an efficient voltage profiling
while minimizing system losses. A PPENDIX II
Example controller settings for two zones and combining
VI. C ONCLUSION
of the two zones are shown in Table V.
In this paper a decentralized, adaptive zone-based Volt/VAR
management solution is proposed, which coordinates active ACKNOWLEDGMENT
participation of DGs with conventional voltage regulation
The authors would like to thank ABB Corporate Research,
equipment. It is shown that DGs can successfully contribute to
Vasteras, Sweden.
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