Difficulties Faced while Connecting WPP to Power Grid: There are several technical issues associated with grid connected systems like power quality issues, power and voltage fluctuations, storage, protection issues, harmonics and frequency fluctuations.
1. Short Circuit Power Control: An electric fault in power system can be defined as short circuit in the system. Short circuit power is one of the indicator of capacity of WPP production which can be connected to the grid. Usual practice is that the installed capacity of WPP should be about 10% of short circuit power. If the short circuit power is high then voltage variation at connection point is low and vice a versa. During and after fault in the system, behavior of WPP is different than conventional plants. Which use synchronous generator. If the large number of WPPs are tripped due to fault, the negative effect of fault are magnified. This will affect the transmission capacities in the areas with significant of wind power.
2. Reactive Power Control: Reactive power is exchange of wind stored in capacitive and inductive components of power system. Each WPP should behave like a other conventional plants. The exchange of reactive power is zero. WPP with reactive power control capacity have pf within ±095 over entire operating range of WPP. WPP are connected at weak points in the network and reactive power losses are considerable and are not able to provide contribution in reactive power balance.
3. Harmonics: Harmonics are current or voltage with frequency that are integer multiplies of fundamental power frequency. Electrical appliances and generators all produce harmonics and large volumes, can cause interference that results in number of power quality problems. 4. Voltage fluctuations: Inverter are generally configured to operate in grid ‘voltage-following’ mode and to disconnect DG when the grid voltage moves outside set parameters. This is both to help ensure they contribute suitable power quality as well as help to protect against unintentional islanding. Where there are large of DG systems on particular feeder, their automatic disconnection due grid voltage being out of range can be problematic because other generators on network will suddenly have to provide additional power.
5. Power factor correction: Because of poor power factor line losses increases and voltage regulation more difficult. Inverters configured to be voltage following have unity power factor, while inverters are in voltage regulating mode provide current that is out of phase with grid voltage and so provide power factor correction.