STATCOM-Based Voltage Regulation in Grid Integrated Wind Farm under Variable Loading Conditions

Abstract

Penetration of wind energy system into grid injects disturbances which affect the power quality and pose stability issues. One such issue is voltage variation arising due to intermittent nature of wind energy sources. Thus, it is necessary to maintain the power quality in the grid. In this context, FACTS devices may play a significant role in improvement of voltage profile resulting in system stability. This paper presents the voltage regulation improvement of a grid integrated wind farm using static synchronous compensator (STATCOM). The wind farm consists of turbines coupled with induction generators. The entire system is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink for different loads (i.e. resistive, inductive and capacitive) under variable wind speeds experienced by the turbines. Results show that the STATCOM can effectively stabilize the bus voltage and improve the stability of the system by controlling the reactive power.