First in Canada, night and day field demonstration of a new photovoltaic solar-based flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) Device PV-STATCOM for stabilizing critical induction motor

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) solar farms are typically dormant at nighttime with their entire expensive assets unused. This paper presents the first in Canada (and perhaps first in the world) utility demonstration of a novel nighttime and daytime technology of utilizing PV solar farm as a dynamic reactive power compensator (STATCOM), and named PV-STATCOM. The field demonstration was performed on a 10 kW PV solar farm installed in the utility network of Bluewater Power Distribution Corporation, in Sarnia, Ontario. It is demonstrated that the solar farm autonomously transforms into a STATCOM and ensures continuous stable operation of a critical induction motor during large disturbances which would otherwise destabilize the motor. The PV-STATCOM is thus shown to be a new FACTS device STATCOM which provides a 24/7 dynamic voltage control functionality as a STATCOM but is about 50 times less costly than an actual equivalent sized STATCOM. The PV-STATCOM is further demonstrated to be a new smart inverter which operates much faster than a conventional smart inverter and also during nighttime, which present-day smart inverters do not. Shutdown of critical induction motors used in industries such as petrochemicals, process control, mining, automotive, medicines, etc. can result in significant financial loss to the industries. This novel functionality of critical motor stabilization by solar farms as PV-STATCOM can potentially open a substantial new revenue earning opportunity for solar farms in addition to generation of active power. This paper presents the first stage results of field demonstration of PV-STATCOM technology on 13th Dec. 2016, in an ongoing project.