Distributed generation–
impact on the power system
Wind power Microturbine
What is DG?
• Distributed Generation
– Power production in distribution network
– Usually small-scale
– Often but not necessarily renewable
– Single windpower units and small-scale
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
• Wind farms
– Centralized generation – not DG
– Results here still apply
Windpower 2001
Olof Samuelsson, IEA, LTH
Overview
• What is DG?
• Power quality
• Power balance and markets
• Dispatch and frequency control
• Requirements on future DG units
• Protection
• Island operation
Olof Samuelsson, IEA, LTH 2
Impact of DG on power system
• Power Quality - at each unit
– Starting and stopping
– Flicker from tower shadow effect
• Power balance - at large penetration
– Non dispatchable, ”must run” units
– Uncontrolled, negative loads
– Wind power production hard to predict
• Protection - of network and units
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 Power Quality Power balance and markets
• Main market
• Power Quality - at each unit – 1 h, 24 h ahead, predicted load
– Starting and stopping • Balance market
– Flicker from tower shadow effect – <1h, 1 h ahead
– Actual load
• Control market
– 0h, 24 h ahead
– Automatic frequency control
– Reserve capacity for outages

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Load in western Denmark Operation of CHP units 1

48 weeks

• Heat demand
– Heat primary product
1 week
– Electric power byproduct
winter • CHP unit schedule
– Heat production follows temperature
summer
– Power production non-dispatchable

• Load is predictable, error few %

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 Operation of CHP units 2
• Heat accumulators introduced
– Heat can be produced at any time
– Eltra tariff controls power production
Olof Samuelsson, IEA, LTH
Operation of wind power plants 2
• Wind variations
– Faster than load variations
– More irregular than load variations
• Wind prediction difficult
– Large prediction errors in MW or h
• Increased need for regulating power
– ≥20% of installed windpower (DK)
– Units must run on part load
Olof Samuelsson, IEA, LTH
Operation of wind power plants 1
• Operated for max output
– Production extremely weather bound
• Shutdown at maximum wind speed
Real data
from E.ON
[Leonhard]
9 Olof Samuelsson, IEA, LTH 10
Power balance and dispatch
• With dispatchable plants
– Dispatch equals predicted load
– Control reserves to handle error
– Export/import usually planned
• With DG added
– Tariff makes CHP predictable
– Control reserves to handle wind+error
– Export/import at surplus/lack of power
– Transmission capacity may be limited
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 Eltra example: Low wind Eltra example: High wind
Central units Central units
CHP CHP
Wind Wind

Export Export
Wind Wind

Load Load
Load-wind Load-wind

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Svenska Kraftnät Frequency dynamics

• 10 TWh goal 2015 gives 4000 MW
• 4000 MW windpower
– 2000 MW regulating capacity needed
• If in the North
– Transmission system must be reinforced
– Doubles transmission tariff
• If in the South
– No system reinforcement necessary
Feedforward control Feedback control
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Frequency dynamics with DG
• Wind varies faster than load
– Reduced frequency quality expected
Olof Samuelsson, IEA, LTH
Balance responsibility
• Transmission system operator
– Svenska Kraftnät, Eltra, E.ON
• More difficult with windpower
– Load minus windpower to be balanced
– Windpower replaces thermal units
– Fewer units must do more!
• New requirements on DG units
– More like conventional plants
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Requirements: Tripping Extreme voltage protection

Voltage/%
• AMP
• Low penetration: Tripping local issue 120
– 2001
– Enables automatic reclosing
106 – Recommendation
– Network owner issues requirements
– Trip delay
– Sensitive protection good 90
80 • Svenska Kraftnät
• High penetration: Tripping system issue
– 2002
– TSO requires generator capacity on-line
25
– Requirement
– TSO issues requirements
– Stay on-line
– Sensitive protection not good 0.2 0.25 0.75 60
t/s
Continuous
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 Extreme frequency protection Requirements: Control
Frequency/Hz
• AMP
55 • MW output reduction to 20% maximum
– 2001
Reduced – In 2 s (Eltra) and 5 s (Svenska Kraftnät)
output
– Recommendation
– Trip delay • Windfarm participation in f control
51 – All (Eltra) and >20 MW (Svenska Kraftnät)
• Svenska Kraftnät
– 2002 • Manual control of windfarms >20 MW
49
48 – Requirement – Real/reactive power (Svenska Kraftnät)
95% of rated – On-line/off-line (Svenska Kraftnät)
47.5 – Stay on-line
t/s
0.5 s >30 min Continuous
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Requirements:
The wind farm at Horns rev
Communications

”…is a power station with obligations to

the power system” (Eltra)
…is designed to meet Eltra requirements
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Control reserves imply part load Network protection
• Hydro power units on part load • Today
– Maximum efficiency well below max output – Radial single fault current infeed
– Nondirectional protection, fuses
– Perfect as control reserve
• With DG
• Thermal units on part load
– Multiple fault current infeed
– Maximum efficiency near max output – Directional protection needed
• Wind power units on part load – Also with meshed distribution network
– Energy lost – avoid! • Island operation
– Low fault currents
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Island operation Active network

• Today: Top-down
• Ultimate challenge
– Generation and control in transmission
– All system functions needed
• Bottom-up instead
• Control
– Generation and control in distribution
– Power balance and frequency control
– Voltage control • Designed for island operation
– Normal situation
• Protection
– Connection with other islands
• Supervision
– Automation and power electronics
– Automation replaces control centres
– Market functions
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 Conclusions
• Power Quality
• DG affects power balance
– Weather important factor
– Transmission critical
– TSO requirements on DG
• Protection revised
• Island operation a challenge
• Alternative network design
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