Passivity-Based Screening to Identify Critical Nodes for Converter Interoperability in Power Systems

The foundation for a passivity-based screening method is introduced with the objective of narrowing the scope of interaction studies for converter interoperability assessment to only those locations where stability issues may arise. With the growing prevalence of renewable energy sources and converter-based generation in the power system, converter interoperability studies are becoming increasingly important. Ensuring that a new converter will not negatively interact with other converters and grid elements can be a challenging and time-consuming undertaking. Screening methods to reduce the effective area to consider in interaction studies can provide a tool to reduce the complexity. However, established methods rely on empirical observations and experience to determine interaction likelihood. The proposed method provides a way to screen for converter interoperability issues using the concept of passivity to provide stability guarantees. Although presently limited to converter interactions with a passive system, it provides the basis for a full screening method between any two systems. The method is tested in Simulink by simulation of a 39-bus system with a 2-level converter, demonstrating the validity of the proposed approach.