Model based design of West Virginia Super Circuit(WVSC) microgrid system

Microgrids are becoming an important aspect of Smart Grid technology that can offer increased energy security, efficiency, and reliability. The design, development, and analysis of microgrid systems demand an effective modeling and simulation approach. This paper presents a streamlined, modelbased design approach that was used to design the microgrid system as part of the Department of Energy funded demonstration project called West Virginia Super Circuit. The proposed modeling and simulation plan includes econometric, load flow, short circuit, protection and coordination, and dynamic stability analyses with each serving a distinct purpose in the comprehensive microgrid design process. This paper focuses on the dynamic stability analysis that was used to study the dynamic behavior of the microgrid for vulnerable situations — e.g., faults, generation loss, and step increase/decrease in loads — in order to propose remedies to these vulnerabilities through design modifications. The simulation platform was developed using Matlab/Simpower and CYME software.