A Data-Driven Voltage Control Approach for Grid-Connected Wind Power Plants

Due to increasing penetration of wind power plants (WPP), power grids are facing significant power quality challenges. To achieve stable and robust power system operation, reactive power plays a vital role. Reactive power needed to compensate voltage fluctuations at the point of interconnection (POI) of the WPP varies with a short circuit ratio (SCR). The reactive power capability of a WPP is also limited and largely depends on various operating conditions. In a physical system, it is difficult to find the correlation among critical parameters for voltage control. In this paper, a data-driven voltage control approach is proposed for a grid-connected WPP. Two regression models are developed through surface fitting using MATLAB curve fitting toolbox: one model based on simulation data is to determine the required reactive power for grid voltage compensation; another model based on field measurement data is to determine the WPP reactive power characteristics. The reactive power compensation device is capacitors in the study. Two controllers, a central WPP controller and a capacitor controller, are designed, their effectiveness is validated through several case and sensitivity studies.