Voltage stability consequences of decentralized generation and possibilities for intelligent control

Abstract

Many decentralized generation technologies are mature today. For the Dutch power system it is expected that in 2020 Decentralized Generators (DGs) form a major (about 35 %) part of the total production capacity. This expectation is true all over the world. A large share of DG will influence the voltage stability of the system. The objective of this paper is to give a clear overview of the consequences of DGs for typical voltage stability problems encountered at transmission level. No particular DG will be studied, but an overview will be given what happens if a DG is based on a certain generator type. Based on theoretical expectations the simulations done in this study show for a typical transmission system that adding DG is generally beneficial for the voltage stability. Mainly three factors are important for the consequence DG has on voltage stability: active power support, reactive power consumption, and voltage support. Taking these benefits into account requires intelligent control of the DGs.