Integration of automatic voltage regulator and power system stabilizer: small-signal stability in DFIG-based wind farms

Abstract

The increasing penetration of wind farms in the energy sector directly affects the dynamic behavior of the power system. The increasing use of wind energy in the power system worsens its stability and inherently influences the firmness of a small signal. To investigate these effects, one of the synchronous generators (SGs) of the grid is considered defective and is replaced by a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind farm of the same rating. The small-signal stability of a power system is usually evaluated via eigenvalue analysis where local-area and inter-area oscillatory modes for the New England test system are identified. SG controls, such as automatic voltage regulator (AVR) and power system stabilizer (PSS), are added to attenuate the generated disturbances. In this study, the impact of wind energy on the small-signal stability of the power system is investigated. Different combinations of AVR and PSS types are considered to mitigate the undesirable alterations. A comparative study is performed based on numerical simulations to choose the best combination of AVR and PSS types. The obtained results prove that the proposed combination yields good results in terms of stability enhancement both under normal operating conditions and in DFIG-based wind farms.