Increasing renewable energy penetration on LV networks using intelligent control of virtual power plants
Abstract
The global rise in energy consumption has ushered in a new era of technological advancements
dictating how energy is generated, distributed and utilised. The surge in the distributed energy
resources (DER) penetration and the continuous strive towards a competitive energy market
requires new policies and technologies to accommodate the emerging technical and economic
hurdles generated by DER implementation. The management and intensification of DER on
the national grid have brought forth the idea of a technical virtual power plant (T-VPP)
which is utilised by various researchers. The T-VPP aggregates an array of SSEG units that
can act as a single virtual generation unit. The VPP presents the opportunity to increase the
renewable energy penetration on the grid while simultaneously providing ancillary services to
the grid and controlling the network parameters to remain within the regulatory standards.
The aim of this study is to develop an intelligent VPP algorithm that will prove its implementation
on South African LV residential networks not only supports the network but to also
enhances the network's capabilities. The primary objective of this study is to safely increase
the renewable energy penetration limit on an LV network irrespective of the network topology
existent in South Africa. Numerous objectives have been identified as performance measures
supporting the primary objective.
The literature has identified and highlighted the current regulatory control strategies incorporated
into renewable energy technology and future energy management strategies. An LV
network simulation model is developed in MATLAB Simulink® to simulate the effect of renewable
energy on the network and the implementation of the various regulatory strategies.
The model is verified to accurately represent the real-world system and mimics the necessary
functionalities with the highest accuracy. The final control structure is developed, modelled,
and finally verified by an iterative design process that analyses and improves on the various
existing regulatory control structures. The exact control strategy is designed to achieve the
set objectives and provide grounds on which the current regulatory specification needs to be
adapted to pave the way for a more inclusive generation scheme.
The final T-VPP control architecture is implemented over a longer run time on the reference
network and subsequently on a different network typology. The simulation data is then collected
and compared to the reference control data to validate that the VPP control scheme is
not implementation-specific and can be a generic energy management implementation.
The emphasis of this study lies in the importance of regulating vital network parameters
to improve renewable energy utilisation and penetration in the national grid. The study also
indicates how the renewable energy penetration can be improved if the incentive is in place for
prosumers to work together, improving grid stability and reducing the capital and operational
expenditure of state-owned entities. This study also highlights the versatility that MATLAB
and Simulink® provide in power system and control based simulations. The results indicate
that intelligent VPP's have promising potential to set a precedent in how energy is generated,
transmitted and consumed.
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