Frequency Regulation Strategies in Wind Power Systems
Summary
Frequency regulation is critical for maintaining stability in power systems with high wind power penetration. The variability of wind and the converter-based nature of modern turbines reduce system inertia, leading to larger frequency deviations following disturbances. Strategies to address these challenges include inertial emulation, which harnesses the kinetic energy of rotating masses to provide rapid support; synthetic inertia and fast frequency response through power converter control; droop control schemes that adjust active power output in response to frequency deviations; and deloaded operation to reserve headroom for upward regulation. Integration of battery energy storage systems and hybrid coordination with wind turbines has further enhanced dynamic support by smoothing fluctuations and offering primary and secondary frequency control. Analytical aggregation models facilitate the inclusion of wind plants in system frequency response studies without resorting to detailed transient models. Emerging grid-forming control techniques allow turbines to establish voltage and frequency references in weak or islanded networks. Collectively, these approaches offer practical pathways for power grids worldwide to accommodate growing shares of wind energy while ensuring reliable frequency regulation.
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Frequency Regulation Strategies in Wind Power Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in frequency regulation strategies in wind power systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Droop control: A method that adjusts active power output in proportion to frequency deviation to share load changes among generators.
Synthetic inertia: Emulated inertial response achieved by rapid converter control to inject power in proportion to the rate of change of frequency.
Deloaded operation: Running turbines below maximum power point to maintain headroom for upward frequency support when required.
Rate of change of frequency (RoCoF): The speed at which system frequency changes following a disturbance, critical for triggering inertial support.
Primary frequency response: The initial, automatic adjustment of power output by generators or storage systems in response to frequency deviations.
References
- Effective participation of wind turbines in frequency control of a two-area power system using coot optimization. Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems (2023).
- Synthetic inertia versus fast frequency response: a definition. IET Renewable Power Generation (2017).
- Hybrid operation strategy of wind energy storage system for power grid frequency regulation. IET Generation Transmission & Distribution (2016).
- Fast Frequency Support From Wind Turbine Systems by Arresting Frequency Nadir Close to Settling Frequency. IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy (2020).
- Dynamic characteristics of virtual inertial response provision by DFIG-based wind turbines. Electric Power Systems Research (2020).
- Deloading Power Coordinated Distribution Method for Frequency Regulation by Wind Farms Considering Wind Speed Differences. IEEE Access (2019).
- Aggregation Frequency Response Modeling for Wind Power Plants With Primary Frequency Regulation Service. IEEE Access (2019).
- Novel grid‐forming control of PMSG‐based wind turbine for integrating weak AC grid without sacrificing maximum power point tracking. IET Generation Transmission & Distribution (2021).
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