Metaheuristic for the Allocation and Sizing of PV-STATCOMs for Ancillary Service Provision

Abstract

In addition to active power generation, photovoltaic inverters can be used to provide ancillary services to grids, including reactive power compensation. This paper proposes a metaheuristic approach based on particle swarm optimization for the allocation and sizing of photovoltaic inverters that perform the complementary functions of static synchronous compensator (PV-STATCOM) units. The objective of the aforementioned approach is to reduce the initial investment cost in the acquisition of PV-STATCOM units. The proposed methodology considers both the daily load curve and generation and is applied to a 33-bus test system. The methodology is validated based on an exhaustive search algorithm and tested over 1000 consecutive simulations for the same problem; consequently, the methodology produces low standard deviations and errors, indicating its robustness. The methodology demonstrates an improved grid voltage profile throughout the day when applied to the 33-bus test system. Furthermore, the photovoltaic inverter efficiently performs its main function of active power generation. As a major contribution, the proposed methodology may assist investors in determining the allocation and sizing of PV-STATCOM units to perform the ancillary service of reactive power compensation in grids.