Development of an electric spring for voltage management in LV network as a consumer level solution

Abstract

LV consumers are encouraged to invest on roof top solar and wind turbines to reduce the stress on the utility side. Due to the intermittent nature of these distributed generators the stability of the power system and the power quality has become the major concerns for the utility companies to control. Electric Spring is a modern power quality improvement device which is able to support and regulate voltage events caused mainly due to distributed generators such as wind and solar to the LV feeders without the need of restrictions and control by the modern utility providers. A detailed literature content is presented to give a brief understanding of the applications of electric springs and comparison with other similar devices available at present market. The study was performed in MATLAB/Simulink platform for feasibility of a developed customized electric spring tested for an LV network consumer considering its future load expansions. The study was tested for voltage disturbances such as voltage fluctuations and for voltage sags and swells. A detailed comparative simulation was performed mainly for voltage management in LV consumers for this study. The behaviour of the system was found to be more rewarding with many electric spring arrangements rather having a single electric spring.