This presentation is about the research we do at the Renewable Energy Systems Laboratory (LaSER), University of Concepcion, Chile. It shows some of the available resources and topics being studied.

1. Computational tools for the
design and evaluation of
electrical systems with PV
generation
Miguel Torres
Postdoctoral Researcher

2. Contact:
Miguel Torres L., PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Solar Energy Research Center (SERC-Chile)
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of Concepcion
Edmundo Larenas 219
Concepción, Chile
Phone: +56-41-2203649
Skype: migueltorres.cl
Gmail: miketango
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/mtorresl

3. Outline
•Introduction
•Integration of NCRE into power systems
•Available resources
•Hardware-in-the-loop application example

4. Introduction

5. Motivation
•Large-scale NCRE plants are already being
connected to the Chilean national grid (SIC and
SING).
•Example: PV plant Llano de Llampos 100 MW.

6. PV plant Llano de Llampos (connected to SIC)
Chile – Copiapó

7. PV plant Llano de Llampos (connected to SIC)
Chile – Copiapó
• Located at 1150 m of
altitude
• Area of 280 acres
• 314 640 panels
• 325 Wp/panel
• Capacity of 100 MWp
• Connected to SIC on
Feb. 16 2014 (220 kV)
• 92 MWp effective
• Silent operation
• 1-axis tracking system
• Manual cleaning

8. View of the real plant

9. Converter stations 360 – 23 kV
• 3 conv per secondary
• Each converter of 250 kW
• Total of 250x6 = 1,5 MW
per station
• It does MPPT

10. Challenges of the integration
of large-scale NCRE plants to
power systems

11. Planning:
•Inter-hour variation of generated power (hard
to estimate).
•Uncertainty in generated power.
•Large variations in generated power.
Operation:
•No contribution of inertial power (PFC).
•Low contribution under voltaje sag.

12. Variations in power generated by Llano de
Llampos PV plant
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
10.0
60.4
73.674.773.673.173.574.274.9
69.0
35.1
0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
POTENCIA[MW]
Despacho Diario Cental Solar PV Llano de Llampos - SIC

13. Stability in power systems
Angle Frequency Voltage
Stability

14. Inertial response and PFC
14

15. Available resources

16. Applied Digital Control Laboratory (LCDA)
• More than 10 years of experience
• Students of different levels: PhD, Master and
undergrads
• Control of electronic power converters
• Study of new conversión topologies
• PCB design
• Solar energy applications

17. Electric Supply Quality Laboratory (LCSE)
• More than 10 years of experience
• Students of different levels: PhD, Master and
undergrads
• Research on power systems and power quality
• Collaboration with the regional industry
• Extensive use of Digsilent, Power analyzers and
power monitors.

18. Renewable Energy Systems Laboratory
(LaSER)
• New facilities (96 m2)
• Fondequip project: 230M CLP
• Real-Time simulator
• SERC internal fund: 50M CLP
• PV emulators
• Power amplifier 15kW
• Other funds: 15M CLP
• Infrastructure

19. PV emulators (3 units)
• 2.6 kW
• 600 V/4.3 A
• Multiple PV profile

20. Example: Grid-tie PV inverter
(Master thesis, Gustavo Hunter, University of Concepcion)

21. OPAL-RT Real-Time simulator

22. OPAL-RT system modes of operation
• SIL
• Fully digital simulation.
• No sinchronization with real world.
• Accelerates testing phase.
• RCP
• Control system design.
• Simulator controls actual plant.
• Allows flexibility in design and debugging
phase.
• HIL
• Controler under test is connected to
simulated plant.
• Flexibility in testing the control unit.
• Testing of extreme events.
• PHIL
• Simulator connected to power amplifier.
• Testing of power equipments.

23. Triphase power amplifier

24. Electrical grid
emulation
Modular power
converter
Emu.
PV
Power amplifier
PV plant
Control
board
+
Sensors
Emu.
PV
Emu.
PV
Control
board
HIL PHIL
Setup
24

25. Example:
Hardware-In-the-Loop
Virtual Synchronous Machine (VSM): adding inertia to PV plants.

26. Background
• Frequency deviations are first limited by inertia and
then by PFC units.
• PV plants are non-rotating generators that add no
inertia to the system  Loss of inertia, frequency
control and stability.
• VSM allows a PV plant to support PFC units by
emulating inertial response and primary mover.
26

27. VSM concept
* Image obtained from “Potentialities of the Virtual Synchronous Machine
(VISMA) to improve the quality of the electrical grid”
SSG (FACTS Terms & Def. Task Force IEEE, 1997)
VSM, VSG, VSYNCH, SYNCHRONVERTER, MSV
27

28. VSM for dynamic frequency control
28
Inertial response Damping power
0.96
0.97
0.98
0.99
Time (s)
0.5 1 1.5 2.5 3
1 kg∙m2
Variable inertia 3 kg∙m2

29. Electrical grid emulation
Control
board
VSM
algorithm
f

30. Experimental setup
30
df
dt
f