Synchronous Condensers: Enhancing Stability in Power Systems with Grid-Following Inverters
This addresses stability issues for power grid operators integrating inverter-based resources, but it is incremental as it builds on existing synchronous condenser technology.
The paper tackles the stability challenges in power systems due to grid-following inverters by analyzing synchronous condensers as a mitigation solution, finding through simulations that they can enhance angular, frequency, and voltage stability but may cause destabilization depending on location.
Large-scale integration of inverter-based resources into power grids worldwide is challenging their stability and security. This paper takes a closer look at synchronous condensers as a solution to mitigate stability challenges caused by the preponderance of grid-following inverters. It finds that while they are not grid-forming assets themselves, they could enhance grid stability. Throughout this paper, different facets of power system stability and their underlying phenomena are discussed. In addition, instances of instability and mitigation strategies using synchronous condenser are demonstrated using electromagnetic transient simulations. The analysis in this paper highlights the underlying mechanism by which synchronous condensers enhance angular stability, frequency response, and voltage stability. Moreover, it underscores the criticality of their choice of location by demonstrating the destabilizing behavior that could be initiated by the interactions of synchronous condensers.