Consumer Centric Flexible Reactive Power Pricing using Scalable Technologies

Reliable and efficient power systems operation requires voltage control as well as minimal reactive power flow between a load and the grid. To achieve this objective, reactive power compensating devices are typically utilized. In modern power systems, the synchronous static compensator (STATCOM) is primarily used for reactive power control, both in distribution and transmission lines. This study presents the modeling and simulation of a STATCOM based on a voltage source converter. Simulations are performed for both single phase and three phase power systems. Furthermore, two control techniques, utilizing Proportional Integral (PI) as well as Proportional Resonant (PR) controllers are explored. The PR controller presents several advantages compared to the PI controller. Simulation results show that in both cases, the STATCOM, connected in shunt with the load either provides reactive power to the load, or absorbs reactive power from the load. Thus, net reactive power transfer from the grid to the load is zero. The grid provides only active power, thus keeping the power factor to almost unity.

Thermal power generators have both active power (AP) and reactive power (RP) requirement to meet up the total power demand. Considering the total power demand such generators supply the essential RP along with the AP. Consequently by considering the reactive power demand it is also an important to consider its cost along with the cost based on active power generation. In this paper, the generalised mathematical functions for the cost considering the RP are formulated and incorporated with the cost function based on active power generation. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm has been applied to solve Optimal power flow (OPF) problem (OPFP). The proposed work has been examined and tested on IEEE-9 bus system with different objectives such as total fuel cost based both active and reactive power generation, transmission losses, voltage profile improvement. The results drawn show its validity and effectiveness.

This paper proposes a transparent and reliable method between the suppliers and consumers for optimal reactive power pricing. The electric power suppliers compute the optimal reactive power using optimal reactive power dispatch problem by considering nodal voltage stability index ‘I’ as one of the constraints. The computed optimal reactive power of the generator is included in the reactive power pricing. The pricing method to the suppliers based on the opportunity cost method is presented and a detailed analysis using 62 bus Indian utility system has been carried out by considering diverse cases. In this proposed pricing method, the services of the cloud technology have been used to provide transparent pricing based on the demands of the consumers. The power demands at the consumers’ site is calculated without the human involvement using the Internet of Things and the same is uploaded in the cloud. In reactive power pricing, the system operator acts as a mediator between the suppliers and consumers. Based on the demand and availability of power, the system operator provides the cost for the service to the consumer through cloud.

Power system stability has been difficult due to the occurrence of low frequency oscillation in the modern power system. Oscillation is mainly due to sudden changes of frequency, load, voltage, active power and reactive power. In this paper we provide a damping solution to oscillate the low frequency by using modified chameleon optimization algorithm. Damping performance and stability analysis of system is done by proposed modified chameleon Swarm Algorithm compared with conventional chameleon Swarm algorithm and Genetic algorithm with different operating condition in terms of Real power, Reactive power and Load disturbances. The comparative results confirmed that the proposed controller exhibit higher damping ratio, and better damping of deviations in speed and power angle to improve the stability of the system.

The Internet of things (IoT) plays important roles in the modern digital world. It has several important roles in the modern power systems and power grids. IoT presents a lot of potential in the power systems and power grids. Some of the support functions are direct and several others are found to be indirect. Either way, IoT can play a lot of important roles in the modern power systems. It can help significantly in the measurement, control, and monitoring of the physical parameters in the power grids. It helps to in the reduction of energy consumption in the power electronic components. It has the potential to provide a lot of operational flexibilities in the power electronic components. Implementation of advanced operational algorithms using artificial intelligence and machine learning is facilitated by the IoT based sensors, actuators and other key components. It can provide smart operational assistance to the power electronic systems used in the power grids. Due to their logical flexibilities IoT sensors can be deployed alongside the power electronic components to track their performances. Consequently, using the IoT sensors' information, the actuators are driven to deliver optimal outcome. IoT sensors' information can be sent directly to the central servers in regular intervals to monitor the overall performances of the power electronic components. In addition to the aforesaid applications, several other potential uses of IoT in power electronics include monitoring of critical power grid parameters such as temperature, current, voltage and vibration at different key locations. In this paper, we analyze the use of IoT in power electronic components in the modern power systems.

This work aims to analyze the effects of a reactive power market on the operation of a power pool. For this, it proposes a reactive power generation cost function which is based on two facts: (i) the profit of a generation company depends on the amount of active power it sells to the market, and (ii) a generator's active power output is limited by its reactive power output. Thus, first of all, this work represents the active power generating capacity of a synchronous machine in terms of its reactive power output. Next, it associates the cost of lost opportunity to the cost of reactive power generation. This reactive cost function is introduced in a reactive optimal power flow model which is parameterized in its active and reactive loads. The solution to this problem is tracked, via a continuation method, until the maximum loadability limit. In this way, it is possible to analyze the influence of the reactive power costs on the maximum loadability limit and the market power of any generator at different load levels. Results are presented for different test systems.

Stable operation of permanent-magnet synchronous generator-based wind turbines (PMSG-WTs) is a challenging and complicated objective. Dealing with the hard situations and complex operations of the PMSG-WTs has recently become a hot issue in modern power systems. The abilities of PMSG-WT to ride over faults and operate at maximum power point (MPP) are the most critical requirements for national grid regulations. To maintain the system's reliability, PMSG-WT should remain linked to the grid during normal and abnormal conditions. Furthermore, PMSG-WT has the potential to inject reactive power during failures. It produces active and reactive power to maintain grid voltage immediately after the fault is cleared. This research uses MATLAB/Simulink to investigate the operation at MPP during wind speed changes and FRT capability during three-phase fault of PMSG-WT to validate the support of grey wolf optimizer (GWO)-based PI controllers at the wind side converter. The findings reveal that, when PMSG-WT is exposed to a fault, active and reactive power react in a complementary manner, i.e., active power to the grid drops, and injected reactive power rises to stabilize the system. While during wind speed changes the system achieves MPP operation using an optimal torque control strategy, and the output power follows the wind variations.

Cybersecurity is crucial for modern power systems due to their high digitization. The open information and communication technology, that is (ICT) being used for the operation of such systems, is highly vulnerable to cyber threats. The adopted smart grid concept around the globe enables the utilization of demand-side for providing ancillary services based on well-known demand response (DR) programs. These programs aggregate smart appliances in homes and electric vehicles (EVs) for providing vital services such as frequency regulation and voltage support. Since the aggregation is based on cyber layer, any cyber threat could affect the ancillary services that are being delivered from the aggregators, which might lead to stability and security issues resulting in brownout or massive blackouts. This chapter discusses the cybersecurity in DR program and shows its importance for modern and future smart power systems due to their stability and security margins. Furthermore, the cyberattack case study is implemented in a power system with demand side program responsible for providing primary frequency support ancillary service, where the results confirm the high vulnerability of modern power systems to cyber threats on DR-active power reserve providers. Moreover, technical suggestions are provided for enhancing the cybersecurity in DR programs in power systems with high power share from renewable energy sources.

This paper presents a new approach to design reactive power capacity markets. Under this approach annual auctions to procure reactive power capacity are conducted by the system operator. Two products are defined, reactive power generation and absorption capacity, which can be supplied by different independent VAR sources, such as generators, SVCs, capacitor banks and shunt reactors. Reactive power capacity is allocated using an optimization algorithm that matches capacity bids and system reactive power needs, for peak and low demand hours. The reactive power requirements are calculated taking into account system contingencies and the dynamic performance of the VAR sources under these situations. Another key proposal of the paper is the distribution of costs of the reactive power capacity market to the agents responsible for contingencies according to the use of the service by each market participant. This remuneration approach provides fair and efficient economic signals to all market participants. The applicability of the approach is illustrated with two case studies.

The power system that we have today has gone through several transformations over the years. These changes are due to either advancement in science and technology or changes in customer demands. Today we have the vision for a future electrical power system known as the ‘Smart Grid’. This power system has several functional and operational capabilities which are envisioned to solve the reliability, generation deficit and cost issues in the power system. Majority of the power systems in the world are still being operated as the traditional power system with one-way communication and one-way power flow. Transitioning to a Smart Grid (SG) influences the protection schemes and principles of the power system as the smart grid is to incorporate Distributed Generation (DG) units and other Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) hence there is going to be a bi-directional flow of power and information. Therefore, there is also a need for development and advancement in the protection schemes. Over the years there have been a lot of transformational stages in the protection schemes for power system operation. Understanding the protection needs is important for power system operators to know the reason why certain protection schemes cannot work on new and modern power systems as they seek to transform their utilities to the future electrical grid known as the smart grid. This paper presents the transitional stages that power system protection has gone through and the requirements needed for smart grid protection.

Transient stability during grid fault is experienced differently in modern power systems, especially in wind-turbine-dominated power systems. In this paper, transient behavior and stability issues of a direct drive wind turbine during fault recovery in DC-link voltage control timescale are studied. First, the motion equation model that depicts the phase and amplitude dynamics of internal voltage driven by unbalanced active and reactive power is developed to physically depict transient characteristics of the direct drive wind turbine itself. Considering transient switch control induced by active power climbing, the two-stage model is employed. Based on the motion equation model, transient behavior during fault recovery in a single machine infinite bus system is studied, and the analysis is also divided into two stages: during and after active power climbing. During active power climbing, a novel approximate analytical expression is proposed to clearly reveal the frequency dynamics of the direct drive wind turbine, which is identified as approximate monotonicity at excitation of active power climbing. After active power climbing, large-signal oscillation behavior is concerned. A novel analysis idea combining time-frequency analysis based on Hilbert transform and high order modes is employed to investigate and reveal the nonlinear oscillation, which is characterized by time-varying oscillation frequency and amplitude attenuation ratio. It is found that the nonlinear oscillation and even stability are related closely to the final point during active power climbing. With a large active power climbing rate, the nonlinear oscillation may lose stability. Simulated results based on MATLAB® are also presented to verify the theoretical analysis.

With the development of science and technology, there has been growing the grid size, the growing demand for electricity and the extent of increasing the electricity market.In this paper, a mathematical morphology and genetic algorithm based dynamic reactive power optimization method for distribution network is proposed.By means of constructing mathematical morphology filter, the binary image composed by allelic genes of chromosome is filtered and the problem that deals with the action times of voltage regulating devices for compensation is turned into filtering problem of discrete binary image.With further automate scheduling, distribution automation and unmanned substation reactive power optimization of distribution line running made an urgent request.Reactive power optimization can improve the voltage passing rate, increasing the reliability of the system, the power quality, and the system runs the security and economy of the perfect combination, very broad application prospects.

The benefits of reactive power compensation depend greatly on the placement and size of the compensators. STATCOM is a shunt compensator and one of the important members of the Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) family that are increasingly being used in long transmission lines in modern power systems. The FACTS devices placement problem is commonly solved using heuristic optimization techniques which are diverse and have been the subject of ongoing enhancements. This chapter, in the first stage, presents a survey of the literature from the last decade that has focused on the various heuristic optimization techniques applied to determine optimal placement and sizing of the STATCOM. In the second stage, the application of the global harmony search (GHS) algorithm as a new meta-heuristic optimization method for determining the optimal location and size of STATCOM in a transmission network is presented. The algorithm is easy to be implemented and capable of finding multiple optimal solutions to the constrained multi-objective problem, providing more flexibility in making decisions about the location of STATCOM. Power system loss reduction, bus voltage profile improvement, voltage stability enhancement and device size are employed as measures of power system performance in the optimization algorithm. The proposed multi-objective GHS algorithm is validated on 57 and 118-bus transmission networks.KeywordsSTATCOMPower lossModal analysisOptimization techniquesHarmony search algorithm

Issues for reactive power and voltage control pricing in a deregulated environment

This paper addresses issues related to reactive power, voltage support and transmission losses as dictated from a certain class of electric loads. Specifically, it addresses the impact of predominantly induction motor loads on voltage support, reactive power requirements, and transmission losses. These issues are examined with a model which explicitly models the induction motor mechanical load. Simulation results on a simplified electric power system are presented. The results are utilized to propose a pricing structure for voltage and reactive power support. The basic assumption of the paper is that, in a deregulated environment, the expense of the incremental requirements for voltage control should be charged to the member causing the additional requirements. Alternatively, the results can be used to justify long term pricing agreements between suppliers and customers.