Optimal allocation of STATCOM for enhancing LVRT capability of wind farms using Taguchi method

Abstract

As a result of the increasing penetration of renewables in power systems, wind farms (WFs) have to satisfy the low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) requirement to stay connected to the power grid under fault conditions. This study proposes a novel method that uses the static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) to improve the LVRT capability of WFs during grid faults. The proposed method is based on the Taguchi method which involves orthogonal experiments. The allocation (locations and sizes) and fuzzy control gains of STATCOM are determined by the analysis of mean (ANOM) technique as part of the Taguchi method to achieve a robust design that is insensitive to variations of operating conditions and faults. The optimal STATCOM that is obtained by the proposed method is validated in both a single WF-infinite bus power system and the IEEE 39-bus power system. The simulation results show that the proposed method can enhance the LVRT capability of WFs.