Power Quality in Microgrids with Distributed Generation

The actual direction of increasing the efficiency of distributed generation and renewable energy resources is the aggregation of low-power sources in a microgrid or virtual power plant. There are many features in these systems: a large number of semiconductor equipment, stochastic nature of the RES generation and bi-directional power flows. Therefore, an important task is to ensure the required power quality indicators. The article is devoted to experimental studies of the influence of distributed generation sources on the power quality at consumer buses. A physical model of a microgrid was assembled containing solar and wind power plants simulators with the help of a laboratory bench. The power quality indicators, such as voltage fluctuations, frequency deviation, non-sinusoidality were studied for three operation modes. Causes of power quality violations have been identified. Solutions to reduce the negative impact of distributed generation on the power quality in the microgrid are proposed.