Protection of Power Electronically Interfaced LV Distributed Generation Networks

Many small distributed generation (DG) units are being installed in low voltage system, such as CHP, small wind turbines, PV system and various loads including heat pumps, these installations change the conventional power system when carrying the power unidirectionally from HV levels down to the loads at MV/LV levels. The power system structure change brings many new issues to be dealt with. The applications of Distributed Generation (DG) have many advantages, in technical, economic and environmental aspects, such as more economic, reliable, convenient and clean energy supply to consumers.

However, the large number of the renewable based Distributed Generation integrated into the power system and the wide application of power electronics as interface devices present a great number of challenges, especially, protection and control during a power system fault and after the fault, because the power flow and the short circuit current are varying with the operation state of these DGs.

This project aims to develop the protection and post-fault control for emerging DG systems, the most important original contributions expected are as follows;

• Knowledge about the features of distributed generation systems with large number of renewable energy generation units and power electronic interfaced devices,
• Models of the emerging distributed generation systems,
• Cost effective and reliable communication technologies to support the protection and control strategies of the DG,
• Simulation models integration of power system and communication system,
• Intelligent power system protection method based on multi-agent concept in the distributed generation systems,
• Control strategies for system recovery to minimize the damage and inconvenience.