A new virtual synchronous generator design based on the SMES system for frequency stability of low-inertia power grids

Abstract

In light of the challenges of integrating more renewable energy sources (RESs) into the utility grid, the virtual synchronous generator (VSG) will become an indispensable configuration of modern power systems. RESs are gradually replacing the conventional synchronous generators that are responsible for supplying the utility grid with the inertia damping properties, thus renewable power grids are more vulnerable to disruption than traditional power grids. Therefore, the VSG is presented to mimic the behavior of a real synchronous generator in the power grid through the virtual rotor concept (i.e., which emulates the properties of inertia and damping) and virtual primary and secondary controls (i.e., which emulate the conventional frequency control loops). However, inadequate imitation of the inertia power owing to the low and short-term power of the energy storage systems (ESSs) may cause system instability and fail dramatically. To overcome this issue, this paper proposes a VSG based on superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) technology to emulate the needed inertia power in a short time and thus stabilizing the system frequency at different disturbances. The proposed VSG based on SMES is applied to improve the frequency stability of a real hybrid power grid, Egyptian Power System (EPS), with high renewables penetration levels, nonlinearities, and uncertainties. The performance superiority of the proposed VSG-based SMES is validated by comparing it with the traditional VSG approach based on battery ESSs. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed VSG based on the SMES system could significantly promote ultra-low-inertia renewable power systems for several contingencies.