[Paper Review] Impact of High PV Penetration on the Inter-area Oscillations in the U.S. Eastern Interconnection

Shutang You|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 8, 2021

Power System Optimization and Stability28 references65 citations

TL;DR

The paper analyzes how high solar PV penetration affects inter-area oscillation modes in the U.S. Eastern Interconnection using dynamic models, showing damping decreases with PV and mode shapes depend on PV control strategies, with potential new modes under certain parameter settings.

ABSTRACT

This study explores the impact of high PV penetration on the inter-area oscillation modes of large-scale power grids. A series of dynamic models with various PV penetration levels are developed based on a detailed model representing the U.S. Eastern Interconnection (EI). Transient simulations are performed to investigate the change of inter-area oscillation modes with PV penetration. The impact of PV control strategies and parameter settings on inter-area oscillations is studied. This study finds that as PV increases, the damping of the dominant oscillation mode decreases monotonically. It is also observed that the mode shape varies with the PV control strategy and new oscillation modes may emerge under inappropriate parameter settings in PV plant controls.

Motivation & Objective

• Motivate understanding of how high PV penetration alters inter-area oscillations in large-scale grids.
• Develop dynamic models of the U.S. Eastern Interconnection with varying PV penetration levels.
• Investigate how PV control strategies influence inter-area oscillation characteristics.
• Identify conditions under which PV controls may cause new oscillation modes to emerge.

Proposed method

• Construct a series of dynamic models of the U.S. Eastern Interconnection with varying PV penetration levels.
• Perform transient simulations to observe changes in inter-area oscillation modes.
• Analyze the impact of PV control strategies and parameter settings on oscillation behavior.
• Evaluate how mode damping and shapes respond to different PV scenarios.
• Examine potential emergence of new oscillation modes under inappropriate PV control parameters.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How does increasing PV penetration affect the damping of dominant inter-area oscillation modes?
• RQ2 How do PV control strategies influence the mode shapes and damping of inter-area oscillations?
• RQ3 Can inappropriate PV controller parameter settings lead to new oscillation modes in the Eastern Interconnection?

Key findings

• Damping of the dominant inter-area oscillation mode decreases monotonically as PV penetration increases.
• Mode shapes vary with the chosen PV control strategy.
• New oscillation modes may emerge under inappropriate PV controller parameter settings.
• The study highlights the sensitivity of inter-area oscillations to PV controls and system configuration.