Solar Integrated Power Quality Compensator for Cluster of Critical and Sensitive Loads

Abstract

In microgrids, especially after the large scale implementation of power electronics controllers, issues such as distortions, low power factor, imbalances are introduced and these led to higher losses, malfunctioning of controllers, a decline in power quality etc. This paper deals with the performance analysis of a solar integrated power quality shunt compensator for a cluster of critical and sensitive power loads. Power converters are suitably designed to trap the maximum amount of available renewable energy and to feed to the load or to the storage system, which will be then utilized during times of higher load demands. Grid power price increases usually at times of higher load demands. The proposed system is beneficial at this stage as it has the facility to export the power from battery storage to the grid during peak demands. The effectiveness of the controller is tested in an industrial system which consists of AC and DC loads. MATLAB/Simulink simulation studies show the reduction of real, reactive and distortion power burden of the grid in addition to the improvement of power factor and harmonic compensation at the load terminals based on their custom quality of power.