A Co-simulation Procedure for Optimal Reactive Power Control in Active Distribution Networks

Abstract

Distribution grids are subject to a drastic evolution in their operating conditions due to the high integration of renewable energy resources (RES) and their ability to regulate voltage. To cope with this issue, modern solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are equipped with smart inverters enabled with communication capabilities that allow the coordinated operation to offer services such as controlling voltage by appropriately setting the reactive power production. This paper proposes a co-simulation framework for smart converter reactive power control in active distribution grids. The proposed framework is used to appropriately control smart inverters installed in PV systems to inject/withdrew reactive power ensuring voltage control at the time that minimises active power losses of the active distribution grid (ADG). The proposed approach has been tested in a modified version of the Kumamoto distribution system. The suitability of the proposed framework has been demonstrated.