A robust SMES control for enhancing stability of distribution systems fed from intermittent wind power generation

The voltage and frequency stability issues of power systems are the main challenges that arise from high penetration levels of wind energy systems. This paper presents an effective solution for voltage and frequency stability problems by using a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system controlled with a fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The proposed control system can suppress the voltage and frequency fluctuations due to the high variations of wind speed. In addition, the proposed control system is suitable for both balanced and unbalanced distribution systems with high penetration levels of wind turbines (WTs). A squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG) is selected in the case study, which represents the worst scenario of WT generation from the voltage and frequency stability aspects. This is due to the high reactive power consumed by the SCIG from the utility grid during steady state and voltage fluctuations that may lead to harmful consequences for power system components. The proposed control method is validated using the IEEE 33-bus radial distribution network (RDN), wherein the SMES and WT systems are connected to the weakest points of the RDN. The obtained results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed FLC-SMES system for alleviating the voltage and frequency fluctuations of the distribution power system during high variations of wind power.