Droop control strategy of utility-scale photovoltaic systems using adaptive dead band

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel droop control strategy for addressing the voltage problem against disturbance in a transmission system connected with a utility-scale photovoltaic. Typically, a voltage control at the renewable energy sources (RESs) connected to the transmission grid uses a reactive power–voltage control scheme with a fixed dead band. However, this may cause some problems; thus, this paper proposes a method for setting a dead band value that varies with time. Here, a method for calculating an appropriate dead band that satisfies the voltage maintenance standard for two disturbances is described using voltage sensitivity analysis and the equation of existing droop control. Simulation studies are conducted using the PSS® E program to analyze the short term voltage stability and display the results for various dead bands. The proposed modeling and operational strategy are validated in simulation using a modified IEEE 39 bus system. The results provide useful information, indicating that the control scheme through an adaptive dead band enables more stable system operation than that through a fixed dead band.