Intelligent voltage dip mitigation in power networks with distributed generation

Includes bibliographical references.The need for ensuring good power quality (PQ) cannot be over-emphasized in electrical power system operation and management. PQ problem is associated with any electrical distribution and utilization system that experiences any voltage, current or frequency deviation from normal operation. In the current power and energy scenario, voltage-related PQ disturbances like voltage dips are a fact which cannot be eliminated from electrical power systems since electrical faults, and disturbances are stochastic in nature. Voltage dip tends to lead to malfunction or shut down of costly and mandatory equipment and appliances in consumers’ systems causing significant financial losses for domestic, commercial and industrial consumers. It accounts for the disruption of both the performance and operation of sensitive electrical and electronic equipment, which reduces the efficiency and the productivity of power utilities and consumers across the globe. Voltage dips are usually experienced as a result of short duration reduction in the r.m.s. (r.m.s.- root mean square) value of the declared or nominal voltage at the power frequency and is usually followed by recovery of the voltage dip after few seconds. The IEEE recommended practice for monitoring electric power quality (IEEE Std. 1159-2009, revised version of June 2009), provides definitions to label an r.m.s. voltage disturbance based upon its duration and voltage magnitude. These disturbances can be classified into transient events such as voltage dips, swells and spikes. Other long duration r.m.s. voltage variations are mains failures, interruption, harmonic voltage distortion and steady-state overvoltages and undervoltages. This PhD research work deals with voltage dip phenomena only. Initially, the present power network was not designed to accommodate renewable distributed generation (RDG) units. The advent and deployment of RDG over recent years and high penetration of RDG has made the power network more complex and vulnerable to PQ disturbances. It is a well-known fact that the degree of newly introduced RDG has increased rapidly and growing further because of several reasons, which include the need to reduce environmental pollution and global warming caused by emission of carbon particles and greenhouse gases, alleviating transmission congestion and loss reduction. RDG ancillary services support especially voltage and reactive power support in electricity networks are currently being recognized, researched and found to be quite useful in voltage dip mitigation