Voltage Profile and Sensitivity Analysis for a Grid Connected Solar, Wind and Small Hydro Hybrid System

• Main Authors: Noah Serem, Lawrence K. Letting, Josiah Munda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: voltage profile; V-Q sensitivity; solar PV; wind power; micro hydro; D-STATCOM
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/12/3555

Due to increase in integration of renewable energy into the grid and power quality issues arising from it, there is need for analysis and power improvement of such networks. This paper presents voltage profile, Q-V sensitivity analysis and Q-V curves analysis for a grid that is highly penetrated by renewable energy sources; solar PV, wind power and small hydro systems. Analysis is done on IEEE 39 bus test system with Wind power injection alone, PV power injection alone, with PV and wind power injection and with PV, wind and micro hydro power injection to the grid. The analysis is used to determine the buses where voltage stability improvement is needed. From the results, it was concluded that injection of the modeled wind power alone helped in stabilizing the voltage levels as determined from voltage profiles and reactive power margins. Replacing some of the conventional sources with PV power led to reduction of voltages for weak buses below the required standards. Injection of power from more than one renewable energy source helped in slightly improving the voltage levels. Distribution Static compensators (D-STATCOMs) were used to improve the voltage levels of the buses that were below the required standards.