MANAGING THE CONNECTION OF ALTERNATIVE POWER SOURCES TO EXISTING GRID

Abstract

The present study posits that one of the most efficacious strategies for enhancing the reliability of energy supply systems is the decentralization of electric energy production. In the contemporary era, the predominant energy model involves the end user integrating consumption and production of energy through the utilization of alternative sources. This prompts the consideration of several technical issues, including automatic generation control, the assessment of energy quality from diverse sources, and the reliable switching of these sources. Existing switching methods are designed for a "switching center", defined as a single point of connection of all sources to the switching system. This design significantly complicates the connection of new sources and, consequently, the creation of a distributed power generation system. Firstly, it is important to note that such switching centers constitute a single point of failure. In the event of damage to such a center due to natural or technogenic factors, there will be an interruption to the supply and distribution of electric energy. Furthermore, the consumer's electricity supply connection scheme is typically designed during the construction stage of the facility, which complicates or renders impossible the subsequent connection of alternative sources (e.g. solar generation systems or other renewable energy sources). These alternative sources can occupy substantial areas and be located at considerable distances from the switching center. In addition, the methods of source switching and load balancing that have been considered in the literature do not implement electrical energy quality monitoring. Nor do they take into account the compliance of its parameters (e.g. voltage, frequency, deviation of the AC voltage form from sinusoidal, stability over time, etc.) with the requirements of the standards. In order to enhance the existing schemes, a model is proposed that facilitates the distribution of power sources to the grid at numerous switching points, ensuring their synchronization and the monitoring of the energy quality from each source. The continuous monitoring and accumulation of statistical information, as well as the physical switching of each source to the grid, can be carried out using automated systems based on microprocessor controllers. These controllers constantly exchange information with each other regarding the parameters of the relevant sources. In accordance with the data presented, each controller generates an instance of a single distributed database for the purpose of making switching decisions.