Rocof Enhancement Using Synchronous Condensers In Systems Integrated With Renewable Energy Sources

The integration of different types of renewable energy resources (RERs) means that the power grid now consists of diverse generation technologies with varying costs of production. Most of the optimization models used to determine the economic dispatch aim at maximizing consumption of renewable energy without consideration of the adequacy of inertial energy required for stabilization of the system dynamics when abnormal conditions occur. The RER technologies contribute to inertia reduction which may result in frequency stability issues, necessitating the need for the power grid to be operated optimally and cost-effectively but within acceptable technical constraints. The incoming renewable RERs are replacing, in most cases, coal fired conventional generation, which then become redundant. This paper analyses the use of synchronous condensers (SCs) to provide inertia support to the power system. The results show that the SCs improve the frequency response (rate of change of frequency) and allow for high levels of RER penetration.