PROJECT TITLE :

New Control of PV Solar Farm as STATCOM (PV-STATCOM) for Increasing Grid Power Transmission Limits During Night and Day

ABSTRACT:

This paper presents a completely unique concept of utilizing a photovoltaic (PV) solar farm inverter as STATCOM, called PV-STATCOM, for improving stable power transfer limits of the interconnected transmission system. The whole inverter rating of the PV solar farm, that remains dormant during nighttime, is used with voltage and damping controls to enhance stable power transmission limits. During daytime, the inverter capacity left after real power production is employed to accomplish the aforementioned objective. Transient stability studies are conducted on a practical single machine infinite bus Power System having a midpoint located PV-STATCOM using EMTDC/PSCAD simulation software. The PV-STATCOM improves the stable transmission limits substantially in the night and within the day even while generating massive amounts of real power. Power transfer will increase also are demonstrated in the same power system for: one) 2 solar farms operating as PV-STATCOMs and a pair of) a solar farm as PV-STATCOM and an inverter-based wind farm with similar STATCOM controls. This novel utilization of a PV solar farm asset will therefore improve power transmission limits that would have otherwise needed expensive extra equipment, like series/shunt capacitors or separate versatile ac transmission system controllers.