Advanced SVC intelligent control to improve power quality in Microgrids

Abstract

There are certain problems within Microgrids related to the reactive power, due to the installed Distributed Generation (DG) and the non-linear loads. A Microgrid is implemented with PSCAD/EMTDC software and three study cases, or operational modes of the Microgrid, are simulated. Initially a characterization of the power flows through the Microgrid is done, using the P-Q Theory, which facilitates the recognition of the main power issues that have to be compensated in the Microgrid. Then an SVC is implemented, using a control strategy based on fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, in order to mitigate those power issues identified in the power flow characterization. It is important to take into account that all the simulations (the characterization and the compensation) are made for the three study cases running PSCAD and Matlab simultaneously.