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Protection Challenges under High Penetration of Distributed Energy Resources

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "F2: Distributed Energy System".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2021) | Viewed by 19981

Special Issue Editors

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
Interests: power system protection; microgrids; grid integration of renwable energy resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Interests: power system protection; microgrids; grid integration of renwable energy resources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Power system protection is a vital operating component of power systems to detect and isolate faults. A protection system is expected to ascertain sensitivity and selectivity requirements. Modern power grids are facing the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) at different levels and experiencing topology changes and clustering into multiple microgrids. DERs in general, and inverter-based resources (IBRs) in particular, pose different challenges on the protection system. As opposed to rotating types of generation sources, IBRs lack the required inertia to stabilize the power grid frequency and have different fault current signatures. This Special Issue will cover paper submissions related to the protection of power grids under high penetration of DERs. The list of topics includes but is not limited to the following:

  • Distribution system protection challenges in presence of DERs;
  • IBRs’ fault signatures;
  • Microgrid protection challenges;
  • Adaptive protection schemes;
  • Microgrid controller considerations for adaptive protection;
  • Integration of adaptive protection into distribution management systems;
  • Fast-tripping protection schemes in low-inertia power grids.

Dr. Ali Bidram
Dr. Matthew Reno
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Adaptive protection
  • Inverter-based resources
  • Microgrid protection
  • Smart grid

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 1202 KiB  
Article
Optimization-Based Formulations for Short-Circuit Studies with Inverter-Interfaced Generation in PowerModelsProtection.jl
by Arthur K. Barnes, Jose E. Tabarez, Adam Mate and Russell W. Bent
Energies 2021, 14(8), 2160; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14082160 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2435
Abstract
Protecting inverter-interfaced microgrids is challenging as conventional time-overcurrent protection becomes unusable due to the lack of fault current. There is a great need for novel protective relaying methods that enable the application of protection coordination on microgrids, thereby allowing for microgrids with larger [...] Read more.
Protecting inverter-interfaced microgrids is challenging as conventional time-overcurrent protection becomes unusable due to the lack of fault current. There is a great need for novel protective relaying methods that enable the application of protection coordination on microgrids, thereby allowing for microgrids with larger areas and numbers of loads while not compromising reliable power delivery. Tools for modeling and analyzing such microgrids under fault conditions are necessary in order to help design such protective relaying and operate microgrids in a configuration that can be protected, though there is currently a lack of tools applicable to inverter-interfaced microgrids. This paper introduces the concept of applying an optimization problem formulation to the topic of inverter-interfaced microgrid fault modeling, and discusses how it can be employed both for simulating short-circuits and as a set of constraints for optimal microgrid operation to ensure protective device coordination. Full article
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19 pages, 3082 KiB  
Article
Per-Phase and 3-Phase Optimal Coordination of Directional Overcurrent Relays Using Genetic Algorithm
by Ronald C. Matthews, Trupal R. Patel, Adam K. Summers, Matthew J. Reno and Shamina Hossain-McKenzie
Energies 2021, 14(6), 1699; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14061699 - 18 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2410
Abstract
Penetration of the power grid by renewable energy sources, distributed storage, and distributed generators is becoming increasingly common. Increased utilization of these distributed energy resources (DERs) has given rise to additional protection coordination concerns, particularly where they are utilized in an unbalanced manner [...] Read more.
Penetration of the power grid by renewable energy sources, distributed storage, and distributed generators is becoming increasingly common. Increased utilization of these distributed energy resources (DERs) has given rise to additional protection coordination concerns, particularly where they are utilized in an unbalanced manner or where loading among phases is unbalanced. Digital relays such as the SEL-751 (produced by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Pullman, WA, USA) series have the capability of being set on a per-phase basis. This capability is underutilized in common practice. Additionally, in optimization algorithms for determining relay settings, the time-overcurrent characteristics (TOCs) of relays are generally not treated as variables and are assigned before running the optimization algorithm. In this paper, TOC options themselves are treated as discrete variables to be considered in the optimization algorithm. A mixed integer nonlinear programming problem (MINLP) is set up where the goal is to minimize relay operating times. A genetic algorithm (GA) approach is implemented in MATLAB where two cases are considered. In the first case, the TOC and Time dial setting (TDS) of each relay is set on a three-phase basis. In the second case, per-phase settings are considered. Relay TDSs and TOCs are both considered as simultaneous discrete control variables. Despite the stochastic nature of using per-phase settings for unbalanced systems is found to generally allow for shorter operating times. However, for relatively balanced systems, it is best to use three-phase settings if computation time is of importance. Full article
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21 pages, 4585 KiB  
Article
Impact of Inverter Based Resources on System Protection
by Aboutaleb Haddadi, Evangelos Farantatos, Ilhan Kocar and Ulas Karaagac
Energies 2021, 14(4), 1050; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14041050 - 17 Feb 2021
Cited by 88 | Viewed by 8180
Abstract
Inverter-based resources (IBRs) exhibit different short-circuit characteristics compared to traditional synchronous generators (SGs). Hence, increased uptake of IBRs in the power system is expected to impact the performance of traditional protective relay schemes—set under the assumption of a SG-dominated power system. Protection engineers [...] Read more.
Inverter-based resources (IBRs) exhibit different short-circuit characteristics compared to traditional synchronous generators (SGs). Hence, increased uptake of IBRs in the power system is expected to impact the performance of traditional protective relay schemes—set under the assumption of a SG-dominated power system. Protection engineers need to study these challenges and develop remedial solutions ensuring the effectiveness of system protection under higher levels of IBRs. To address this need, this paper studies the impact of IBRs on a variety of protective relay schemes including line distance protection, memory-polarized zero sequence directional protective relay element, negative sequence quantities-based protection, line current differential protection, phase comparison protection, rate-of-change-of-frequency, and power swing detection. For each protection function, potential misoperation scenarios are identified, and recommendations are provided to address the misoperation issue. The objective is to provide an improved understanding of the way IBRs may negatively impact the performance of traditional protection schemes as a first step towards developing future remedial solutions ensuring effective protection under high share of IBRs. Full article
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Review

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23 pages, 3508 KiB  
Review
AC Microgrid Protection System Design Challenges—A Practical Experience
by Sarat Chandra Vegunta, Michael J. Higginson, Yashar E. Kenarangui, George Tsai Li, David W. Zabel, Mohammad Tasdighi and Azadeh Shadman
Energies 2021, 14(7), 2016; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14072016 - 6 Apr 2021
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 5645
Abstract
Alternating current (AC) microgrids are the next step in the evolution of the electricity distribution systems. They can operate in a grid-tied or island mode. Depending on the services they are designed to offer, their grid-tied or island modes could have several sub-operational [...] Read more.
Alternating current (AC) microgrids are the next step in the evolution of the electricity distribution systems. They can operate in a grid-tied or island mode. Depending on the services they are designed to offer, their grid-tied or island modes could have several sub-operational states and or topological configurations. Short-circuit current levels and protection requirements between different microgrid modes and configurations can vary significantly. Designing a microgrid’s protection system, therefore, requires a thorough understanding of all microgrid operational modes, configurations, transitional states, and how transitions between those modes are managed. As part of the microgrid protection design, speed and reliability of information flow between the microprocessor-based relays and the microgrid controller, including during microgrid failure modes, must be considered. Furthermore, utility protection practices and customer requirements are not always inclusive of the protection schemes that are unique to microgrids. These and other aspects contribute to the overall complexity and challenge of designing effective microgrid protection systems. Following a review of microgrid protection system design challenges, this paper discusses a few real-world experiences, based on the authors’ own engineering, design, and field experience, in using several approaches to address microgrid protection system design, engineering, and implementation challenges. Full article
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