AUTHORED ARTICLE

BALDEV RAJ NARANG, CLARIANT POWER SYSTEM LTD.

Voltage and Reactive Power Issues of

Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
The dynamic Reactive
Power support at a Solar
Plant facility should be
adequate to facilitate plant
operation within specified
voltage variation limits.
Baldev Raj Narang
CEO, Clariant Power System Ltd.

Solar Power Plants in India are struggling to cope at about 140 % of their Active Power needs, which
up with issues related to Reactive Power and Voltage means a 100 MW plant should be able to supply -40
control. The regulations in India with regard to MVAR to +40MVAR reactive power dynamically.
Reactive Power support expected to be available at The Solar Plants connected to Grid have to operate
these plants are not uniform across states. Moreover, within specified limits of voltage variations.
these are either non-existent or these are not enforced. This is required to maintain stability and reliability
This leads to an unhealthy working environment of Grid operation. Other requirements for Grid
both for utilities and for solar operators. Bulk reactive connection are permitted limits of frequency
power compensation in India is still mainly catered variations, operation within phase unbalance limits,
to by the utilities but the growing level of penetration limits on flicker severity and Harmonic distortion
of solar power generation now requires that the solar limits within IEEE519-2014 norms. However, we
plants also significantly share the reactive power will restrict our discussion to Voltage variation limits
support required for grid stability. The Photovoltaic and Reactive Power support needed to remain within
Inverters are capable of supplying Reactive Power, these limits. The dynamic Reactive Power support at
but their sizing is restricted to supplying Active a Solar Plant facility should be adequate to facilitate
Power alone. If we look at regulations elsewhere, say plant operation within specified voltage variation
in Australia, the PV Inverters are required to be sized limits. One such limit for voltage variation specified

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 Active/Reactive/Apparent Power variations for a typical 25MW Solar Plant for 24 Hour cycle

by Telangana State Utility is between 97.5% to 2% of the rated current per percent of the voltage
103%. If required by utility the Solar Plant should drop, the facility must be capable of feeding the
be able to automatically isolate itself from the Grid required reactive power within 20 milliseconds”.
if the allowable voltage limits are crossed on either In North America, the Capacitive and Inductive
side. Power capability of the solar plant is expected to
Utility in MP state charges for RKVAH lag and maintain power factor limits between 0.95 lagging to
RKVAH lead consumption. If the solar facility 0.95 leading at the point of interconnection. Voltage
does not have dynamic reactive regulation in distribution
power support to maintain PF
at point of interconnection
“
Nature of solar power systems is normally performed
at the distribution substation
close to unity it has to pay for
available for export is level and voltage regulation by
the reactive power imported intermittent and varying reactive power installations at
from the grid. and at times like cloud solar facilities is not allowed
The reactive power cover the variations can by IEEE1547. Reactive Power
requirements vary as per the installations at solar facilities
respective Grid Code e.g.
be extreme and sudden. operate in fixed power factor
Germany Grid Code says that A stable grid during all mode with respect to the grid.
“In the event of voltage drop 24 hours of the day is In case it is desired to utilize
of more than 10% the reactive
current contribution of at least
required. ,, the solar inverters for providing
reactive power support to grid,

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 AUTHORED ARTICLE
BALDEV RAJ NARANG, CLARIANT POWER SYSTEM LTD.

reactive power control schemes dips the system needs higher

need to be devised for unused
solar inverter capacity and
The reactive power “ capacitive power but reduced
system voltage significantly
similar schemes for utilizing
injection from an Active drops this availability
oversized solar inverter capacity. Dynamic system is proportional to the square of
Nature of solar power independent of the voltage drop.
available for export is system voltage and An optimum Reactive Power
intermittent and varying and system for the solar plant can be
provides the required
at times like cloud cover the a hybrid system consisting of a
support during such
,,
variations can be extreme and passive unit for coarse control
sudden. A stable grid during all critical events. and an Active Dynamic part
24 hours of the day is required. for fine control. This provides
Dynamic reactive power support at the solar power a higher total reactive power capability where the
generation facility is needed to augment reactive dynamic part caters to PF values nearer to unity and
power installation available in the Grid. IGBT the passive part takes care of lower PF values. The
controlled Active dynamic compensation both passive capacitors and reactors help in shifting the
at solar generation facility and at grid is ideal for dynamic reactive support capability towards lagging
sudden large requirements of reactive power. It is or leading side as desired.
best option to instantly get capacitive or inductive Reactive Power requirement for a typical 25MW
reactive power to have voltage ride through capability Solar Plant for twenty-four-hour cycle was measured.
during both low voltage and high voltage events. The figure illustrates the varying requirement.
The reactive power injection from an Active Power factor is inductive during export hours and
Dynamic system is independent of the system voltage capacitive during import hours. There is sudden
and provides the required support during such capacitive reactive power need for few minutes
critical events. Passive compensation systems on the during morning and evening while transition from
other hand are not able to deliver their designed and import to export and from export to import. The
desired reactive power capacity during eventualities leading power factor during night hours is observed
of sudden voltage changes. During sudden voltage due to line capacitance.

About the Author

Baldev Raj Narang is an Electrical Engineering Graduate from Delhi College of Engineering,
University of Delhi and is currently CEO of Pune-based Clariant Power System Ltd, a company which in
association with FRAKO Germany and COMSYS Sweden is engaged in providing solutions in reactive
power and power quality management to Indian and overseas customers in diverse fields. Narang
has previously worked for Indian Oil Corporation and Century Enka Ltd, among others. He can be
reached at baldevrajnarang@clariantindidia.co.in or on Hand phone on 7719996868/9822332212

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