US 2019/0245353 A1 · UTILIZATION OF DISTRIBUTED GENERATOR INVERTERS AS STATCOM

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for operating a solar farm inverter as a Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) device—a STATCOM—for voltage control. The solar farm inverter can provide voltage regulation, damping enhancement, stability improvement and other benefits provided by FACTS devices. In one embodiment, the solar farm operating as a STATCOM at night is employed to increase the connectivity of neighbouring wind farms that produce peak power at night due to high winds, but are unable to connect due to voltage regulation issues. The present invention can also operate during the day because there remains inverter capacity after real power export by the solar farm. Additional auxiliary controllers are incorporated in the solar farm inverter to enhance damping and stability, and provide other benefits provided by FACTS devices.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A distributed power generation source for operatively connecting to a power grid system at a point of common coupling, said distributed power generation source comprising:

a voltage inverter;
and
a controller that operates said voltage inverter as a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) when said distributed power generation source is providing less than a maximum rated active power of said distributed power generation source to said power grid system;
wherein
a voltage at said point of common coupling is regulated by said controller,
said STATCOM prevents said voltage at said point of common coupling from exceeding a specified voltage range when at least one additional distributed power generation source is operatively connected to said power grid system,
said STATCOM produces an excess amount of power relative to an amount of power required by at least one load on said distributed power generation network.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

16/280,756Filed 20 Feb 2019

Priority

15 Sep 2009

Published

8 Aug 2019

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

H02J 3/01
Circuit arrangements for AC mains or AC distribution networks: arrangements for reducing harmonics or ripples
H02J 3/1842
With stepless control: having reactive elements actively controlled by bridge converters, e.g. active filters or static compensators [STATCOM]
H02J 3/381
Arrangements for feeding a single network from two or more generators or sources in parallel; Arrangements for feeding already energised…
H02J 3/388
Arrangements for feeding a single network from two or more generators or sources in parallel; Arrangements for feeding already energised…

Family

Application61/242,501Us provisional application · filed 15 Sep 2009

Application61/309,612Us provisional application · filed 2 Mar 2010

Application13/391,699Continuation · filed 7 May 2012

Application15/072,014Division · filed 16 Mar 2016

Application16/280,756Division

Application15/072,014Continuation

US 10,256,635 B2Related patent

US 11,211,799 B2Related patent

US 2012/0205981 A1Published application

US 2016/0197482 A1Published application

US 9,325,173 B2Related patent

US 2019/0245353 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Utilization of distributed generator inverters as statcom

Life of this patent

Utilization of distributed generator inverters as statcom

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11