On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power Grids

The integration of high levels of inverter-based generation (IBG) into power grids requires meticulous planning, especially as IBGs lack the inherent short-circuit capacity of conventional generators, potentially weakening system strength. To mitigate this, synchronous condensers (SCs) are deployed...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shereefdeen Oladapo Sanni, Olatunji Obalowu Mohammed, Suprava Chakraborty, Ayodele Isqeel Abdullateef, Abdulrahaman Okino Otuoze, Olumoroti Ikotun, Ephraim Bonah Agyekum
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10993363/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849687544150622208
author Shereefdeen Oladapo Sanni
Olatunji Obalowu Mohammed
Suprava Chakraborty
Ayodele Isqeel Abdullateef
Abdulrahaman Okino Otuoze
Olumoroti Ikotun
Ephraim Bonah Agyekum
author_facet Shereefdeen Oladapo Sanni
Olatunji Obalowu Mohammed
Suprava Chakraborty
Ayodele Isqeel Abdullateef
Abdulrahaman Okino Otuoze
Olumoroti Ikotun
Ephraim Bonah Agyekum
author_sort Shereefdeen Oladapo Sanni
collection DOAJ
description The integration of high levels of inverter-based generation (IBG) into power grids requires meticulous planning, especially as IBGs lack the inherent short-circuit capacity of conventional generators, potentially weakening system strength. To mitigate this, synchronous condensers (SCs) are deployed in weak areas to enhance fault current and voltage support. Traditional SC allocation methods use the short-circuit ratio (SCR) as a key metric, but this may not account for control interactions in grids with significant IBG penetration. This study compares two approaches for optimizing SC placement and sizing: SCR-based and network-response short-circuit ratio (NRSCR)-based, a metric that captures dynamic IBG interactions. Applying a genetic algorithm (GA) to the Nigerian power grid as a case study, the SCR-based approach identified two critical points of interconnection (PoIs) requiring 68 MVA of SC capacity, while the NRSCR-based method identified four PoIs, requiring a total of 674 MVA. Although the NRSCR-based method significantly improved system performance during faults—offering faster voltage recovery post-fault and higher fault current contributions—it resulted in a cost increase of approximately 7 times. This highlights the trade-off between cost and performance, underscoring the need for utilities to balance economic and technical considerations when deploying SCs in IBG-dominated grids.
format Article
id doaj-art-b946345add2b4f4284cc3b4edc1e5df5
institution DOAJ
issn 2169-3536
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher IEEE
record_format Article
series IEEE Access
spelling doaj-art-b946345add2b4f4284cc3b4edc1e5df52025-08-20T03:22:18ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113837818379310.1109/ACCESS.2025.356822810993363On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power GridsShereefdeen Oladapo Sanni0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9679-1625Olatunji Obalowu Mohammed1Suprava Chakraborty2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8900-7724Ayodele Isqeel Abdullateef3Abdulrahaman Okino Otuoze4Olumoroti Ikotun5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2975-4570Ephraim Bonah Agyekum6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6947-4349Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, NigeriaDepartment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, NigeriaTIFAC-CORE, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, IndiaDepartment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, NigeriaDepartment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, NigeriaDepartment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, NigeriaDepartment of Nuclear and Renewable Energy, Ural Federal University Named after the First President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, RussiaThe integration of high levels of inverter-based generation (IBG) into power grids requires meticulous planning, especially as IBGs lack the inherent short-circuit capacity of conventional generators, potentially weakening system strength. To mitigate this, synchronous condensers (SCs) are deployed in weak areas to enhance fault current and voltage support. Traditional SC allocation methods use the short-circuit ratio (SCR) as a key metric, but this may not account for control interactions in grids with significant IBG penetration. This study compares two approaches for optimizing SC placement and sizing: SCR-based and network-response short-circuit ratio (NRSCR)-based, a metric that captures dynamic IBG interactions. Applying a genetic algorithm (GA) to the Nigerian power grid as a case study, the SCR-based approach identified two critical points of interconnection (PoIs) requiring 68 MVA of SC capacity, while the NRSCR-based method identified four PoIs, requiring a total of 674 MVA. Although the NRSCR-based method significantly improved system performance during faults—offering faster voltage recovery post-fault and higher fault current contributions—it resulted in a cost increase of approximately 7 times. This highlights the trade-off between cost and performance, underscoring the need for utilities to balance economic and technical considerations when deploying SCs in IBG-dominated grids.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10993363/Control interactionssynchronous condensersinverter-based generationsystem strengthshort-circuit ratio
spellingShingle Shereefdeen Oladapo Sanni
Olatunji Obalowu Mohammed
Suprava Chakraborty
Ayodele Isqeel Abdullateef
Abdulrahaman Okino Otuoze
Olumoroti Ikotun
Ephraim Bonah Agyekum
On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power Grids
IEEE Access
Control interactions
synchronous condensers
inverter-based generation
system strength
short-circuit ratio
title On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power Grids
title_full On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power Grids
title_fullStr On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power Grids
title_full_unstemmed On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power Grids
title_short On the Choice of System Strength Metrics for the Allocation and Sizing of Synchronous Condensers in Power Grids
title_sort on the choice of system strength metrics for the allocation and sizing of synchronous condensers in power grids
topic Control interactions
synchronous condensers
inverter-based generation
system strength
short-circuit ratio
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10993363/
work_keys_str_mv AT shereefdeenoladaposanni onthechoiceofsystemstrengthmetricsfortheallocationandsizingofsynchronouscondensersinpowergrids
AT olatunjiobalowumohammed onthechoiceofsystemstrengthmetricsfortheallocationandsizingofsynchronouscondensersinpowergrids
AT supravachakraborty onthechoiceofsystemstrengthmetricsfortheallocationandsizingofsynchronouscondensersinpowergrids
AT ayodeleisqeelabdullateef onthechoiceofsystemstrengthmetricsfortheallocationandsizingofsynchronouscondensersinpowergrids
AT abdulrahamanokinootuoze onthechoiceofsystemstrengthmetricsfortheallocationandsizingofsynchronouscondensersinpowergrids
AT olumorotiikotun onthechoiceofsystemstrengthmetricsfortheallocationandsizingofsynchronouscondensersinpowergrids
AT ephraimbonahagyekum onthechoiceofsystemstrengthmetricsfortheallocationandsizingofsynchronouscondensersinpowergrids