Space vector control for multilevel static synchronous compensator in wind energy systems

Abstract

To meet the higher demand for energy, fossil fuels have been the leading energy source. These fuels produce greenhouse gases (GHG) and these gases are the reason for climate change, and the fossil fuel resources are also running out quickly. Because of this, lawmakers need to switch to clean and renewable energy sources, including solar, geothermal, wind, tidal, and biomass. The wind energy industry has developed a lot because of new technologies, which has led to more wind turbines (WTs) being connected to the grid. Integrating a lot of WTs into the grid has caused challenges like power quality (PQ), grid stability, and reactive power correction. This study utilizes a multilevel inverter-based static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) with a space vector hysteresis current controller (SVHCC) to mitigate the impacts of WTs. The proposed control strategy improves PQ by reducing total harmonic distortion (THD) and maintaining unity power factor (UPF) even in the presence of nonlinear load and induction generator (IG). The desired results are obtained with a lower switching frequency, thereby improving efficiency and reducing stress on power electronic devices. The proposed SVHCC-based STATCOM is modelled and evaluated using MATLAB/Simulink, and its performance is compared with both uncompensated system and a simple hysteresis current controller (SHCC)-based STATCOM.