INVESTIGATION OF SOLAR POWER PLANT FOR FAULT RIDES THROUGH CAPABILITY UNDER ABNORMAL GRID CONDITIONS

The grid integration of renewable energies is more and more influencing the short circuit capacity (SCC) of power systems all over the world. The behavior of renewable energy sources such as wind or solar energy, is different from that of classical synchronous generators during symmetrical or unsymmetrical short circuits. The response of renewable energy generation units to short circuits is more or less controllable by the power electronics used in the converter system and the corresponding control algorithms. Grid-connected distributed generation sources interfaced with voltage source inverters (VSIs) need to be disconnected from the grid under: 1) excessive dc-link voltage; 2) excessive ac currents; and 3) loss of grid-voltage synchronization. In this paper, the control of single- and two-stage grid-connected VSIs in photovoltaic (PV) power plants is developed to address the issue of inverter disconnecting under various grid faults. Inverter control incorporates reactive power support in the case of voltage sags based on the grid codes’ (GCs) requirements to ride-through the faults and support the grid voltages. A case study of a 1-MW system simulated in MATLAB/Simulink software is used to illustrate the proposed control. Problems that may occur during grid faults along with associated remedies are discussed. The results presented illustrate the capability of the system to ride-through different types of grid faults.