Review of Excitation Techniques for Squirrel Cage Induction Generator Based Micro Grid Using Dynamic Compensation

Reactive power compensations are more prominent and challenging especially with grid tied wind generating systems because IEEE standards such as 1159:1995, 1250:2011 standard allows +/- 5% voltage variation along with almost zero tolerance of frequency deviation with +/- 0.03% maximum variation to interconnect any new generating plant with grid. In spite of availability of modern generators, Squirrel Cage Induction Generator (SCIG) as a micro grid component may still be a promising generator in small scale wind generating systems. However, reactive power demand for excitation is a big challenge for the smooth functioning of SCIG. This article critically reviews the excitation techniques for SCIG by a new approach of results demonstration for several techniques. To demonstrate the two extreme reactive power compensation techniques, static and dynamic compensating devices, namely fixed capacitor (FC) and STATCOM (ST) respectively, are analytically modeled at one place along with SCIG as a source of micro grid. The simulink models are tested for various real time performance aspects such as SCIG characteristics, total harmonic distortions (THD), voltage magnitude and frequency profiles. The results also demonstrate the necessity of high performance dynamic compensators for coping up the system's frequency challenges during system starting and load changes. The financial as well as technical limitations of both, static and dynamic compensating techniques, are also demonstrated for nurturing the economic and power quality based concepts in the mind of readers so that new areas of research can be rooted out from this scholastic approach of literature reviewing.