Published by Mirus International Inc., [2010-01-08] MIRUS-FAQ001-B2, FAQ’s Harmonic Mitigating Transformers, 31 Sun Pac Blvd., Brampton, Ontario, Canada. L6S 5P6.
The Energy Star program is sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is designed to encourage the use of energy efficient products. The Energy Star logo is found on many household appliances and other products identifying that they’ve been designed to specific energy efficiency standards.
For transformers, the Energy Star program is based upon the NEMA TP-1 ‘Guide for Determining Energy Efficiency for Distribution Transformers’. NEMA TP-1 defines minimum efficiency levels for transformers with linear loads at 35% loading. This criteria was chosen based on surveys which indicated that the average loading on distribution transformers in North America is about 35%. The efficiency limits vary by transformer size but are generally in the 98% range. In choosing 35% loading, NEMA TP-1 puts extra emphasis on no-load (core) losses rather than load (copper) losses. Because of its emphasis on no-load losses, NEMA TP-1 specifically exempts transformers which service non-linear loads. The following are taken from its exemption list:
Drives transformers, both AC and DC
All rectifier transformers and transformers designed for high harmonics
Special impedance, regulation and harmonic transformers
The reason that transformers designed for high harmonics are exempted is that harmonics will dramatically increase load losses (I2R and eddy current) and have very little effect on no-load losses. Therefore, NEMA TP-1’s emphasis on no-load losses can be counter productive when supplying non-linear loads. To meet the efficiency limits, a manufacturer must optimize for lower no-load losses, sometimes at the expense of higher load losses. For example, one common way of reducing no-load losses is to add more steel to the transformer’s core. With a larger core, each turn of the transformer’s windings must cover a larger circumference. The extra length of copper winding adds resistance which increases I2R load losses. This can significantly INCREASE losses and REDUCE efficiencies when supplying non-linear loads at load levels above 50%.
For an optimal HMT energy efficiency design, Mirus’ Harmony-1E™ HMT not only meets NEMA TP-1 minimum efficiencies at 35% load but also in the entire operating range from 35% to 65%. In this manner, we can assure energy savings not only at lightly loaded conditions but also at more heavily loaded conditions when harmonics have their most significant influence on losses. (See Figures 14-1 and 14-2 in Question 14 for comparison of energy savings).
Harmonics and Harmonic Mitigating Transformers (HMT’s) Questions and Answers
This document has been written to provide answers to the more frequently asked questions we have received regarding harmonics and the Harmonic Mitigating Transformer technology used to address them. This information will be of interest to both those experienced in harmonic mitigation techniques and those new to the problem of harmonics. For additional information visit our Website at www.mirusinternational.com.
Published by Morsy Nour 1,2,*, José Pablo Chaves-Ávila 1 , Gaber Magdy 2 and Álvaro Sánchez-Miralles1
1Institute for Research in Technology (IIT), ICAI School of Engineering, Comillas Pontifical University,28015 Madrid, Spain; jose.chaves@iit.comillas.edu (J.P.C.-Á.); alvaro.sanchez@iit.comillas.edu (Á.S.-M.) 2Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Energy Engineering, Aswan University, Aswan 81528, Egypt; gabermagdy@aswu.edu.eg, *Correspondence: morsy.mohammed@iit.comillas.edu
Abstract: There is a continuous and fast increase in electric vehicles (EVs) adoption in many countries due to the reduction of EVs prices, governments’ incentives and subsidies on EVs, the need for energy independence, and environmental issues. It is expected that EVs will dominate the private cars market in the coming years. These EVs charge their batteries from the power grid and may cause severe effects if not managed properly. On the other hand, they can provide many benefits to the power grid and get revenues for EV owners if managed properly. The main contribution of the article is to provide a review of potential negative impacts of EVs charging on electric power systems mainly due to uncontrolled charging and how through controlled charging and discharging those impacts can be reduced and become even positive impacts. The impacts of uncontrolled EVs charging on the increase of peak demand, voltage deviation from the acceptable limits, phase unbalance due to the single-phase chargers, harmonics distortion, overloading of the power system equipment, and increase of power losses are presented. Furthermore, a review of the positive impacts of controlled EVs charging and discharging, and the electrical services that it can provide like frequency regulation, voltage regulation and reactive power compensation, congestion management, and improving power quality are presented. Moreover, a few promising research topics that need more investigation in future research are briefly discussed. Furthermore, the concepts and general background of EVs, EVs market, EV charging technology, the charging methods are presented.
Keywords: electric vehicles; uncontrolled charging; delayed charging; controlled charging; V2G; V2B; V2H; peak shaving; valley filling; congestion management; renewable energy sources
1. Introduction
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, global warming, and climate change are getting significant attention worldwide [1]. Countries aim to diminish the use of fossil fuel which is the main reason behind these issues. Most of fossil fuel consumption is in electricity generation and transportation sectors [2]. In 2014, 35% of the total energy consumption was by the transportation sector [3]. Electricity generation can cut fossil fuel usage by moving to renewable energy sources (RESs) instead of traditional nonrenewable generation and transportation sector can cut fossil fuel usage by moving to electrified transportation. With this transformation in the transportation sector, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions can be reduced [4,5]. The advancement in EV technology can lower the reliance on fossil fuels and leads to emission reduction [5]. Charging the EVs from a power grid with high share of RESs generation contributes more to decreasing pollutant emissions [6].
Electrified transportation like metros, electric trains, trolleybuses, trams, etc., are widely used in many countries public transportation and is considered a mature technology, but private electrified transportation like private EVs have not had large adoption in the past due to limitations in battery technology in terms of heavy weight, high price, short life, and long charging duration. Due to the breakthroughs and recent developments in battery technology, EVs are proposed as a competitor to traditional vehicles driven by gasoline due to the fast decline of EV prices [7]. Moreover, EVs produce no pollution (locally) and have a very high energy conversion efficiency compared to traditional vehicles because the internal combustion engine (ICE) is less efficient than the electric motor (EM). Furthermore, several countries already initiated governmental programs to increase EVs market share by financial subsidies and tax exemptions to motivate people to buy EVs. Additionally, many car manufacturers produce various types of EVs that have different specifications and prices. This gives the buyer a lot of options to choose from depending on his budget and car usage (i.e., long distance or short distance).
These EVs can be charged from large charging stations, street chargers, workplace chargers, and private home chargers [8], which will be supplied from the distribution network. It is expected that this new load which draws a large amount of electric energy from the power system in a short time will have harmful effects on the distribution network if not managed optimally and will foster the need for large infrastructure upgrades, which are an economic burden for utility companies. Therefore, comprehensive studies should be executed to understand and assess the characteristics of EVs load and probable effects they may have on the electric power system, especially the distribution networks [9], and consider this new load in the design, operation, and planning processes. Additionally, techniques to minimize and alleviate these negative effects and for optimal integration of EVs into the power grid should be developed [10].
A large number of research studies have investigated and assessed the impacts of uncontrolled EV charging on distribution networks due to uncertainties related to these studies. Many uncertainties should be considered like charging start time, the charger power rating, the charging location, EVs battery capacity, EVs battery state of charge (SoC) [11] when started charging, penetration level, and distribution network status. The studies assessed the impacts of uncontrolled EVs charging on distribution networks total power demand [12], transformer loading and life [13], cable loading [14], voltage profile [15], power losses [16], voltage and current unbalance [17], and harmonics distortion [18]. Moreover, various studies proposed solutions for optimal integration of EVs by delayed charging, smart charging, vehicle to grid (V2G) technology, vehicle to building (V2B) technology, and vehicle to home (V2H) technology, and how it can provide electrical services like frequency regulation, voltage regulation and reactive power compensation, peak shaving and valley filling, integration of RESs, spinning reserves, and improving power quality [19,20].
This paper is organized as follows: Section 2 presents a general background of EVs, EVs market, EVs types, the benefits and challenges of EVs, and EV charging technology. Section 3 presents the charging and discharging methods; for instance, uncontrolled charging, delayed charging, controlled charging, V2G technology, V2B technology, and V2H technology. Section 4 presents the negative impacts of uncontrolled EVs charging on electric power systems. Section 5 presents the positive impacts of controlled charging and discharging of EVs on electric power systems. Section 6 presents a few promising research topics that need more investigation in future research. Finally, conclusions are presented in Section 7.
2. Electric Vehicles Technology
An EV is a vehicle that is powered or driven, at least in part by electricity such as trams, metros, electric cars, electric trains, trolleybuses, etc. Most of the mentioned technologies are mature and widely used, except the private EVs (i.e., electric cars), but they are getting huge attention in the last years. EV technology is not new as it appeared in the 19th century powered by lead–acid batteries and it was not used a lot because the fuel-powered cars, i.e., internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), showed better performance at that time because the energy density of fuel was better than lead–acid batteries. Usually, EV terminology is widely used to refer to private electric cars and not to other electrified transportation methods like trams, metros, etc.
2.1. Electric Vehicles Market
Based on the 2019 global EV outlook report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) [7], there is a very rapid growth of EVs market. The report shows that the EVs stock crossed 3 million in 2017 and exceeded 5 million in 2018. China represents the largest EVs market, then Europe and the United States after that. Norway achieved the highest deployment of EVs with a market share of 46% followed by Iceland 17% and Sweden 8%. It is expected that the number of EVs will increase significantly in the coming years. The forecasts for EVs number at 2030 between 130 and 250 million. There are many EVs in the market now from several manufacturers (BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Tesla, Renault, Volkswagen, etc.) with different specifications (battery technology, battery capacity, electric motor power, electric range, and onboard charger power rating,) which gives a wide range of options for people interested in buying an EV. Although the fast increase in the EV market, it still represents a small percentage of the global passenger light-duty vehicles market currently. This means that EVs have a long way until they become capable of making a significance in GHGs emissions and oil demands.
It should be mentioned that large scale adoption of EVs will have economic impacts and they should be viewed from two points of view, the EV owners’ point of view and the power grid point of view [21]. From the power grid point of view, a high-power load represented in EVs will be introduced, which means additional expenses in fuel and generation capacity [22]. The grid power losses will rise, although they can be reduced by the use of controlled charging approaches [23]. Several studies showed that the electric power system will have a significant power loss due to EVs charging with different penetration levels. The lifespan of transformers and cables in the distribution grid may decrease due to excessive uncontrolled charging. A study in [24] showed that controlled charging of EVs results in reducing the peak demand and 60% saving in the system cost. Therefore, the improvement in EVs charging infrastructure and charging strategies need attention to enhance the power grid economic aspects. From EV owners’ point of view, various benefits can be achieved like reducing the operating costs due to lower electricity prices compared with fuel and higher efficiency of EMs used in EVs compared with ICEs used in ICEVs [25]. On the other hand, the high initial cost of EVs due to the expensive batteries used compared with ICEVs represents a considerable challenge. Mass production of EVs, advancement in battery technology, new charging infrastructure and smart charging strategies, and providing rewards and incentives to EVs owners may control the high initial cost of EVs [26-28].
2.2. Types of Electric Vehicles
There are many types of EVs categorized according to the energy converter (i.e., ICE or EM) used to propel the vehicle, the power source (i.e., battery, fuel cell, or gasoline), and if it charges from an external source (i.e., charging station or home charger) [4]. A brief explanation of those types is presented in the following subsections. The basic structure of different EVs types is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Basic structure of different electric vehicles (EVs) types. (a) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV); (b) Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV); (c) Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV); and (d) Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV).
2.2.1. Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)
HEV is similar to ICEV but with oversized EM and battery. The battery can be charged by regenerative braking and by the ICE at light loads. Usually, battery and EM drive the vehicle at lower speeds and the ICE drives the vehicle at higher speeds. Furthermore, EM can assist the ICE at high load and enhance vehicle performance and efficiency. HEV has lower GHGs emissions and fuel consumption than ICEVs. In this type, no charging from distribution network by EV charger is used [29,30]. Therefore, it does not result any negative impacts on the power system due to battery charging and cannot provide any electrical services. There are different structures of this type [29]: series, parallel, series/parallel, mild, and complex HEVs, in addition to series/parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) which is explained in the next subsection. The basic configuration for parallel HEV is shown in Figure 1a.
2.2.2. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
This is a HEV, but its battery can be charged by regenerative braking, by ICE, and EV charger supplied from distribution network as well. It is characterized by larger EM power, smaller ICE, and larger battery capacity compared with HEV in order to extend the electric range. It can operate in all-electric mode and use EM only which results in zero GHGs emissions. The capacity of the battery specifies the range of electric operation [29,30]. This type usually has a small battery capacity. Therefore, it is expected that it has a limited negative impact on electric power system. Moreover, its ability to provide electrical services is limited. PHEV can be in any hybrid configuration. The basic configuration for parallel PHEV is shown in Figure 1b.
2.2.3. Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
BEV is expected to dominate the EVs market with future advancements in battery technology and price reduction. BEV contains only EM which is powered by a battery and does not contain ICE. The electric driving range depends on battery capacity. The main advantage of this type is that it produces no emissions locally, which is very crucial in big cities. There are many configurations of this type [29] depending on different companies’ designs but the basic configuration and principal components are shown in Figure 1c. The battery is charged from the distribution network by different kinds of EV chargers. Moreover, during deceleration and braking of EV the motor operates as a generator and produces electric energy that charges the battery. This is called regenerative braking which is used in other public electrified transportation like metros and trams too. To enable regenerative braking bidirectional DC/AC converter is used. It allows electric energy to flow from battery to AC motor in the driving mode and from the AC motor to the battery in braking mode [29,30]. The main challenge for BEV is the long charging period and limitation of public charging infrastructure. This issue will be tackled in the near future with the advancement in battery technology which will extend the electric range that the EV can drive before the need to be recharged. Furthermore, the large-scale deployment of public fast charging stations will reduce EV owners range anxiety. Moreover, in the future, BEV manufacturers may enable battery swapping. This means replacing the empty battery with a fully charged one in battery swapping station which needs a very short time. More details about battery swapping are given in Section 2.4.3. This type of EVs has the largest battery capacity and its charging can result in a severe negative impact on the power system if not managed properly. Additionally, its ability to provide electrical services is higher than other EV types.
2.2.4. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)
FCEV is powered by EM like BEV, but it uses a fuel cell instead of a battery. The vehicle is refueled with hydrogen and the fuel cell converts hydrogen gas chemical energy to electric energy which powers EV motor. Hydrogen can be produced from fossil fuels like natural gas or water electrolysis. FCEV has short refueling time like ICEVs [29,30]. The basic configuration of FCEV is shown in Figure 1d. It can also work with a combination of battery and supercapacitors. If no battery is used, this vehicle type will have no impact on the power system because it does not need electric charging from distribution system.
2.3. Benefits and Challenges of Electric Vehicles
It is essential to introduce the advantages and disadvantages of conventional vehicles which are dominant in the market now. Table 1 shows the advantages and disadvantages of ICEVs. The disadvantages of ICEVs might be a big problem in the future of the transportation sector. This was the reason to look for some alternatives. EVs appeared as a promising solution to some of these disadvantages.
Table 1. Advantages and disadvantages of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs).
EVs show many benefits compared with ICEVs but few challenges must be faced to increase EVs adoption. Table 2 shows both the benefits and challenges of EVs [29,31]. Because both traditional vehicles and EVs have their strengths and weaknesses, hybrid vehicles (i.e., HEVs and PHEVs) with several configurations appeared, which try to combine the strengths of both types and avoid weaknesses.
Table 2. Benefits and challenges of EVs.
2.4. Electric Vehicles Charging Technologies
EVs charging can be classified into three main technologies: conductive charging, wireless (i.e., contactless) charging (WC), and battery swapping. Conductive charging is the simplest and the currently used charging method. For conductive charging, there is physical contact (i.e., cable) between the power supply and battery but for WC there is no physical contact. WC and battery swapping are not widely used like conductive charging and still under study and development. The following subsections will provide more details about these technologies. Figure 2 presents classification of different charging technologies.
Figure 2. Classification of EVs charging technologies.
2.4.1. Conductive Charging
EV battery chargers have a significant responsibility in the advancement of EVs because the EVs adoption and social acceptance depends on the effortless access to charging stations or street chargers. Several topologies were presented for single phase and three phase EV chargers [32,33]. It consists of AC/DC converter, power factor correction elements, and DC/DC converter as shown in Figure 3. Charger systems are classified to on-board (i.e., inside vehicle for slow charging) and off-board (i.e., outside vehicle for fast charging). Moreover, they can be classified to unidirectional or bidirectional chargers [34]. Unidirectional charging has simple charging hardware and allows power flow from grid to EV only. Bidirectional charging allows power flow from the grid to EV and can inject power from the EV battery to the grid, building, or home.
Figure 3. Onboard EV charger components.
Availability and advancement of EV charging infrastructure can decrease the required onboard energy storage and decrease the range anxiety of EV owners. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J1772 [35], there are three charging levels. Most of the EV owners are expected to charge at home overnight according to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) so Level 1 and Level 2 chargers will be the primary option [36], while level 3 will be used for commercial charging stations.
Level 1 Charging
This is the slowest charging way and the simplest because no additional infrastructure is needed, and any wall outlet can be used. In the US, a standard 120 V/15 A wall outlet is used for Level 1. It is available only as an on-board charger. Although its cost is less than other charging levels, the EV needs a long time to be fully charged. Due to its low power rating, this charging level has the lowest impacts on distribution systems.
Level 2 Charging
Level 2 charging uses 208 V or 240 V at currents up to 80 A, and 19.2 kW charging power. EV owners prefer Level 2 compared with Level 1 because of its shorter charging time. It may need dedicated electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) installation for public or home charging. Some EVs like Nissan Leaf have an on-board charger of this charging level.
Level 3 Charging
Level 3 is for fast charging and it operates as a commercial refueling station (i.e., less than 1-h charging time) similar to the conventional gas station which can be installed at city main roads and highways. It is supplied from a three phase circuit with 480V or higher voltages. It is available only as an off-board charger because the charging power is high and may exceed 100 kW. It is clear that level 3 charging is not suitable for home charging. It has a high installation cost, and this represents a potential issue. It is expected that public chargers will use Level 2 or Level 3 for fast charging in shopping centers, parking lots, restaurants, hotels, theaters, etc. High charging power represents an advantage from charging time point of view, but it may generate a peak demand and overload the distribution network equipment in addition high installation cost.
2.4.2. Wireless Charging (WC)
WC enables EVs charging without physical contact or cable between the power supply and battery. Advancement of WC will reduce the required onboard battery capacity which will decrease EVs price and mass, which will result in reduction of EVs energy consumption. WC may become a future alternative for traditional conductive charging. WC has a potential to be used for charging electric bus batteries [37]. It can operate at different voltages (level 1, 2, and 3). The highest efficiency recorded for WC is 90% [38]. There are three main technologies of WCS: inductive, resonant inductive, and capacitive WC [39,40].
Inductive wireless charging (IWC) will be explained to provide the basic idea of this technology. The IWC contains AC/DC converter that converts AC power supplied from electricity grid to DC. Then, it is converted again to AC power with high frequency fed to transmitting (i.e., primary) coil. All these components are in the street underground. The EV contains receiving (i.e., secondary) coil that receives power from transmitting coil by electromagnetic induction through the air gap. Then the AC power is converted to DC by AC/DC converter and charge the battery [41]. A simplified diagram of IWC that explains the main concept is shown in Figure 4. IWC can be classified into static inductive charging and dynamic inductive charging. For static inductive charging, EV must be stationary during charging. However, dynamic inductive charging allows WC while EV is moving [42].
Figure 4. A simplified diagram of inductive charging.
Current WC is designed for unidirectional power flow from grid to vehicle, but future development of this technology is to enable EVs to discharge power to the grid wirelessly to provide electrical services. The advantages of this technology are electrical safety, no cables needed, and user convenience. The challenges of this technology are the high infrastructure cost compared to conductive charging, and low power transfer efficiency between coils [40].
2.4.3. Battery Swapping
Battery swapping station (BSS) is a charging station at which the empty EV battery will be replaced by a fully charged battery in few minutes [43]. Battery swapping may be used with electric buses that have a high capacity battery which will take a long time to be charged by traditional conductive charging. This technology requires a large stock of batteries owned by the BSS or a third party and rented to EV owner. BSS contains a distribution transformer, AC/DC converters to charge the batteries, batteries, and battery swapping equipment [44,45]. Some studies considered that BSS can use bidirectional chargers to provide electrical services by V2G mode [46,47]. The challenges of this technology are battery standardization, high infrastructure cost, and large space for BSS. In 2013, Tesla company revealed a battery swapping system that can swap the battery in 90 s [48].
3. Charging and Discharging Methods
Charging methods can be classified into two main categories, unidirectional and bidirectional charging. In unidirectional charging the energy flow is only from the grid to EV (i.e., uncontrolled charging, delayed charging, and controlled charging). In bidirectional charging, energy can flow from the grid to EV and from EV to the grid or loads as buildings, or homes (i.e., V2G, V2B, and V2H). Figure 5 presents the classification of different charging and discharging methods. Figure 6 shows how the total power demand profile of distribution system will change with different EV charging or discharging methods [10].
Figure 5. Classification of different charging and discharging methods.
Figure 6. Total power demand profile with different charging and discharging methods. (a) Uncontrolled charging; (b) Delayed Charging; (c) Controlled Charging; and (d) V2G, V2B, and V2H.
3.1. Uncontrolled Charging
This is the simplest method to charge EVs and the current used way. The EV is plugged in for charging at the maximum power rating of EV charger until the EV battery is fully charged (i.e., state of charge (SoC) is 100%), similar to any electric device with a battery (i.e., laptop, smart phone, etc.). Several studies concluded that uncontrolled charging of EVs may result in severe negative impacts on distribution networks such as increase in peak load demand, overloading of transformers and cables and shorten their life, increase voltage drop, increase system unbalance due to single phase chargers, increase power losses, and increase harmonic distortion [49,50]. Moreover, this type of charging limits the EVs acceptable penetration level, because EV owners charge their vehicles when arriving home from work, which usually coincides with peak hours as shown in Figure 6a. The figure shows the total power demand of residential consumers during the day [51] before connecting EVs (in grey) and how the total power demand will change when EVs are connected to the distribution network for charging. Furthermore, it will accelerate the need for infrastructure upgrade. This charging method is also known as dumb charging, uncoordinated charging, and unregulated charging.
3.2. Delayed Charging
The severe impacts of uncontrolled charging can be alleviated with the use of delayed charging. In this case, the utility has different electricity prices during the day with low price at off peak time (i.e., time utility wants EV owners to charge at) and high price at peak time (i.e., time utility does not want EV owners to charge at). This method controls the charging time and not the charging power (i.e., EV charge at charger maximum power rating). With the optimal design of electricity tariff prices during the day, it can work as an incentive for EV owners to charge their vehicles on low price times which maximize both utility (i.e., distribution system operator (DSO) or distribution company) and EV owners benefit and result in valley filling as shown in Figure 6b. Although this method is a very simple technique to flatten the load profile and shift the load to off peak time, non-optimal design of electricity price, can incentivize a large number of EV owners to charge at off peak times, which may result in a second peak especially at the beginning of off peak time. Moreover, this method ignores EV owners’ preferences and needs to charge their EVs at different times during the day. This charging method is also known as off peak charging, and indirect controlled charging with time of use pricing [52,53].
3.3. Controlled Charging
Although delayed charging has less impacts on distribution networks than uncontrolled charging, it has limitations. These limitations can be surpassed using controlled charging. This method controls the charging time and charging power of EV depending on some distribution network parameters like total power demand, transformer loading, voltage stability, power losses, etc., or to minimize the charging cost. In this technique, EV acts as a controllable load. Various studies proposed controlled charging algorithms for maximizing EV owner benefit by charging cost reduction and maximize utility benefit by distribution network stress and losses reduction, enhancement of power quality, and shifting the EV load to off peak hours which result in valley filling [54,55] as shown in Figure 6c. This charging method is also known as coordinated charging and smart charging.
Controlled charging can be classified as centralized, decentralized, and autonomous control architecture [56]. In centralized control, a central controller collects data such as electricity prices, system loading condition, EVs status, and owner preferences; based on this data the controller determines the set points of controlled EVs. Although centralized charging control usually results in optimal use of the system and enables EVs to participate in many electrical services, it has few disadvantages. There are privacy issues because all users data can be accessed by the central controller, the need for expensive two way communication infrastructure, large data amount must be processed, which is a high computational burden, any problem in the central controller or loss of communication can lead to severe consequences, and a large number of messages should be communicated in a short period which can result in communication issues. Moreover, most of the utility companies do not use real time pricing, which makes this method inapplicable currently [56].
In decentralized charging control, the control entity (i.e., DSO or aggregator) sends signals to EVs like electricity prices to incentivize them to take a specific action such as reducing their charging power or stop charging at peak hours. In this case no need to send EVs private information to the control entity. Although decentralized control methods need a cheaper processing and communication infrastructure compared with centralized control methods, they have few disadvantages. The optimal utilization of the system is not ensured, their ability to participate in ancillary service markets is limited and they are vulnerable to variations in customers behavior [56].
In autonomous charging control, the charging power is regulated based on local inputs such as voltage and battery SoC without any communication between EVs and control entity [57,58]. Usually, autonomous charging control is classified as decentralized control with no communication. Although this control architecture is the single option for distribution systems with no communication facilities and it can enable the integration of a larger number of EVs to the power grid in its current status, it has few disadvantages. Their ability to participate in ancillary service markets is limited, they are vulnerable to variations in customers behavior and the system cannot be operated optimally [56].
3.4. Vehicle to Grid (V2G)
This refers to the capability of EVs to supply power to the distribution network and operate as distributed energy storage devices. Bidirectional EV chargers are used to enable the electric power to flow in both directions from grid to vehicle (i.e., charging) and from vehicle to grid (i.e., discharging). When there is surplus electric energy (off-peak times) EVs will charge, which is called grid to vehicle (G2V) mode, and when there is a deficit in electric energy and consumption is higher than generation, EVs will supply power to the distribution network and this enhances the system reliability and efficiency [59]. So EVs can be seen by utilities as load and source. Because EV power and energy are limited and approximately have no effect on the power system, usually an aggregator is the responsible for aggregating EVs power or energy, which are located in geographical area to participate in electrical services.
The interaction in this case is between EV and power system management organization like DSO, which has to operate the power system in a reliable way. V2G can provide many grid services such as frequency regulation, spinning reserve, enabling the integration of more RESs, and peak load shaving and valley filling [60] as shown in Figure 6d. Other benefits of V2G is generating revenues for EV owners, and decrease emission and operating cost if grid services were provided by traditional nonrenewable generation [60]. Although this is a very promising technology regarding providing electrical services to the power system, it has many challenges and barriers. This technology is very complex and needs many infrastructure changes because it needs bidirectional chargers and continuous two-way communication between EVs and system operator or aggregator. Moreover, it is expected that continuous charge and discharge of EV battery may lead to battery degradation and shortening its life. In contrast, new studies concluded that EV can participate in V2G without battery degradation [61].
3.5. Vehicle to Building (V2B)
V2B is similar to V2G but in V2B there is no communication between the vehicle and the grid, and it only communicates with the building so the energy stored in the EV battery can be used to supply the building loads only. The use of V2B mode can be very effective during peak load times and outage conditions. EVs are used as an energy storage device and operates in two modes: G2V and V2B. It operates in a G2V mode to charge the battery at low cost when the grid is lightly loaded and there is surplus electric power generation. It operates in a V2B mode to supply the building loads when the electricity price is high at peak hours [62]. By doing this V2B is providing peak shaving and valley filling which is utility benefit and reduce building expenses by discharge at periods with high electricity prices and reduce building demand from the grid. This method is simpler than V2G as it operates behind the building meter, but it provides less electrical services to the power system. V2B involves one building (i.e., many homes) and many EVs.
3.6. Vehicle to Home (V2H)
This is very similar to V2B but in this case, only one home is involved and not a whole building as in V2B and only one EV. Normally EV absorbs power from home and can supply power to home when needed. It needs a simple architecture compared to V2G and V2B and can provide less electrical services to the power system compared to them. It can flatten the house daily load profile and reduce house consumption during peak hours with high electricity prices. Local energy production from photovoltaic (PV) or small wind generation can be effectively used by storing the excess generation in EV battery and use it when needed [63,64].
4. Negative Impacts of Electric Vehicles on Electric Power Systems
Uncontrolled charging of EVs with high penetration levels is expected to introduce unwanted negative impacts on the power system. The possible negative impacts are the impact due to increase of peak demand, voltage deviation from the acceptable limits, phase unbalance due to the single-phase chargers, harmonics injection, overloading of the power system equipment, and increase of power system power losses [65]. A large number of studies have investigated these impacts because the estimation of EVs charging impacts is based on several conditions [65] and have many uncertainties that must be considered and modeled properly in the study to accurately estimate the impact of EVs charging on the power systems, the main key variables are [66,67]:
EV battery charger
Depending on the charging infrastructure and the EV model single phase or three phase chargers may be used for charging. Moreover, there are many power ratings for EVs chargers operating at different voltage levels. So, the fast chargers are expected to increase the peak demand in a larger value compared with slow chargers.
Time
The time of connecting the EVs for charging is not certain so it is unknown how many EVs may be charging at the same time and the probability that the EV charging time interferes with the peak demand time of the distribution networks. Some studies assume the charging start time of EVs, and other studies make surveys in a geographical area or a city to know the home arriving time of vehicles and model it as probability distribution.
Location
The place at which an EV charge is random. EV owner may charge at home, friend’s home, street charger, or charging station. It may be different from distribution network to another where are the charging locations and what are the EV charger type (i.e., private or commercial chargers).
Battery capacity
There are a wide range of EV batteries capacity. PHEV usually contains a small battery capacity while BEV contains higher battery capacity. EVs with high battery capacity will draw a larger amount of energy from the power grid.
Battery SoC
The battery SoC at the plug-in instant is stochastic. Many studies assume the SoC and others consider it as a probability distribution.
Penetration level
EVs still have a very small market share which will increase quickly for few countries like Norway and slowly for many other countries. Therefore, many studies considered different EVs penetration levels ranging from 10% to 100%.
Distribution system status
There are many differences between distribution systems in terms of structure (i.e., radial or ring), equipment loading condition before connecting EVs, voltage level (i.e., medium voltage or low voltage), voltage profile, daily load profile of loads, etc.
Therefore, numerous studies were executed to assess the impacts of EVs charging on the power system. Most of the studies focus on the distribution network at which EVs charging occurs, because the most severe impacts are expected to occur at the distribution level. Classification of positive and negative impacts of EVs charging/discharging on electric power system can be seen in Figure 7 and they are explained in the following sections.
Figure 7. Classification of EVs charging impacts on electric power systems.
4.1. Impacts Due to Increase in Peak Demand
Various studies have been performed for assessment of EVs charging impact on the peak demand and load profile on distribution systems. Many distribution networks in different countries and with different topologies and characteristics were chosen to conduct these studies. In [68], the peak demand increased by 53% when uncontrolled EVs charging was used with 30% penetration level. In another study [69], with only 10% penetration level of uncontrolled EVs charging in residential network, the peak demand increased significantly. In [70], the effect of charging light duty vehicles up to 100% penetration level on system peak demand was investigated. For 100% penetration level, uncontrolled charging resulted in a high increase in peak demand, which must be minimized by delayed charging. In [71], it was found that EV rapid charging at peak hours will result in a significant rise in peak demand and equipment limits were exceeded even with very small penetration levels. However, by the use of slow charging at off peak hours, distribution network could integrate up to 50% penetration level without violating equipment limits.
In [72], the impact of uncontrolled charging of EVs on total power demand for three distribution networks (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural) with different capacities were evaluated. The study considered penetration levels up to 25%. For the highest penetration level, the peak demand increased by 9% for both urban and rural networks and 11% for suburban network. This increase made the rural network exceed the maximum capacity limit while urban and suburban did not exceed the capacity limit. In [73], it was found that uncontrolled charging increased the peak demand. The study proposed a demand response method to control EVs demand and other flexible home devices. This method enabled the integration of EVs without increase in peak demand from the base case (i.e., without EVs).In a recent study [74], the impacts of uncontrolled EVs charging on Great Britain power system was investigated. The study also considered how controlled charging can mitigate these impacts. For a 100% penetration level, it was found that the peak demand will increase by 8 GW at generation and transmission level. Moreover, the results showed that controlled charging can significantly reduce the increase in peak demand and eliminate the need for new generation infrastructure. At the distribution level 100% penetration level will require 28% upgrades at distribution network. Controlled charging can reduce the distribution network upgrade requirements to only 9%. Another interesting conclusion in this study is that load profile at distribution level and load profile at transmission level cannot be flattened at the same time using controlled charging. For instance, flattening the load at transmission level (i.e., national demand) will require 19% upgrades at the distribution level. Moreover, flattening the load at distribution level will result in 6 GW increase in national demand.
In [75,76], it was concluded that the increase in peak demand can be crucially mitigated by the use of optimized charging and time of use (ToU) charging. A study on the Estonian grid [77] with 30% penetration level of the passenger’ cars available was conducted and the results showed an increase in the peak load with 5% for uncontrolled charging and 4% increase for controlled charging. Section 5.3 gives more details on how controlled charging can flatten the load profile and how controlled charging/discharging can cut the peak demand (i.e., peak shaving).
From the previous studies, it is clear that large integration of EVs charging in uncontrolled manner may lead to a significant increase in peak demand. This increase in peak demand will result in higher operation costs because expensive generation must be operated at peak hours for short duration to supply peak load. In addition, infrastructure upgrade is required if the peak demand is higher than components capacity at generation, transmission, or distribution levels. Moreover, the use of delayed charging and controlled charging is effective in minimizing peak demand increase due to EVs demand and the accompanied negative impacts; this can enable higher EVs penetration.
4.2. Voltage Instability and Phase Unbalance
Voltage instability represents a challenging issue and can result in system disruptions [78]. The reason for that is the operation at high load demand and near the stability limit. The grid voltage stability is crucially affected by the characteristics of the load. EVs load characteristics are different from the conventional loads (i.e., residential, industrial, and commercial) characteristics and the earlier estimation of its power and energy demands are difficult. In addition, the EVs consume more power in a short time to fully charge the battery. Furthermore, single phase EVs chargers may increase phase unbalance at distribution network. Phase unbalance results in unwanted negative effects at distribution network operation and connected loads and should remain in the acceptable limits.
Numerous studies have been executed to evaluate the impacts of EVs charging on voltage instability, voltage deviation, and phase unbalance. In [79], the voltage stability was investigated in a study implemented in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 43 bus distribution system. The results showed that voltage stability of distribution network is highly reduced by EVs fast charging. The impact of uncontrolled charging on voltage deviation at different daily durations was assessed in [80]. Obtained results showed a large increase in voltage deviation which was close to exceeding the acceptable limits especially if EVs were charging at peak period. The study proposed stochastic programming strategies to minimize voltage deviation. In [72], the impact of uncontrolled charging of EVs on voltage drop for three distribution networks (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural) was estimated. The study considered penetration levels up to 25%. For rural network which has long feeders, higher voltage drop was recorded due to EVs charging which fosters the need for voltage regulation devices. The impact of uncontrolled charging of EVs on voltage deviation in primary and secondary distribution systems was examined in [81]. The study considered different penetration levels (i.e., 30% and 50%), different EVs types (i.e., BEV and PHEV), and different charging levels (i.e., level 1 and level 2). Results showed no voltage limits violation at any node of primary distribution system. However, voltage limits violations were recorded in the secondary system. Moreover, it showed that BEV caused more voltage drop than PHEV due to its higher battery capacity and level 2 charging caused more voltage drop than level 1. In another work [82], the effect of large-scale integration of EVs with high power charging in IEEE 39 bus distribution system and how the distribution network reliability was improved by optimal charging of EVs was investigated. Another method for reducing the voltage instability was proposed in [83]; the method is based on voltage control by the tap-changing transformer.
In [84], the impact on voltage unbalance due to uneven EVs distribution on the three phases was investigated. The study considered two scenarios for EVs distribution on phases. For scenario A, 50% of EVs are connected to phase a, 30% to phase b, and 20% to phase c. For scenario B, 80% of EVs were connected to phase a, 20% to phase b, and 0% to phase c. For scenario A, the voltage unbalance factor (VUF) did not violate the limits until 50% penetration level. However, for scenario B, the VUF reached the limits at 25% penetration level. Another study [85] investigated the impact of single phase EVs charging (i.e., G2V) and discharging (i.e., V2G) on voltage unbalance of low voltage distribution network. The study considered many cases and results showed that in some cases VUF exceeded the limit for both charging and discharging modes. In [86] a significant phase unbalance occurs due to the EVs charging with single phase chargers at level 1 at the residential network which results from the unequal distribution of EVs chargers in the three phases. However, a small impact on voltage and current unbalance was observed due to EVs charging in [87]. It should be mentioned that by using controlled charging and discharging of EVs with considering VUF minimization, the voltage unbalance at distribution network can be minimized. More details are provided in Section 5.4.
Previous studies showed that usually low EVs penetration levels can have a small impact on voltage values even if uncontrolled charging was used. However, high EVs penetration levels can cause high voltage drop, and voltage value may exceed the acceptable limits especially at the end of long feeders (i.e., rural network), which will require the installation of voltage regulation devices. Studies showed that secondary distribution networks have a higher probability of exceeding voltage limits than primary distribution networks. Moreover, phase unbalance represents a challenging issue since most EVs are expected to be charged by single phase private chargers. Very small EVs penetration levels can cause small phase unbalance. However, high EVs penetration levels and high uneven distribution of chargers on the three phases may result in VUF higher than acceptable limits.
4.3. Harmonics Distortion
Power quality problems may arise due to EVs charging. Because power electronic devices are used in EV chargers, so high EVs integration can affect the power network’s power quality. Harmonics injected by EV chargers into the power grid will lead to negative effects on electric power system components which are designed to be supplied by pure sinusoidal waveform and increase system losses. Few studies found that EV chargers had a non-significant effect on harmonic distortion. For instance, in [88], a comprehensive harmonic study was implemented using the Monte Carlo method and the results showed a minor impact of harmonics in the distribution network. Another study [89], found that commercial EV chargers resulted in a small increase in the total harmonic distortion of voltage (THDv), and it was less than 0.8%.
In contrast, many studies concluded that EVs charging had a large impact on the distribution system. In [90], the THDv increased to 11.4% due to uncontrolled rapid charging and this value exceeded the limit of 8% based on EN 50,160 standard and a solution to the harmonic problem was proposed by using the control of PV inverter as an active filter. In [91], the impact of EVs charging with slow and fast charger on total harmonic distortion (THD) was assessed for different EVs models. A high total harmonic distortion of current (THDi) was recorded for fast charging between 12% to 24%. In [92], the impact of traditional EV charger on the quality of system voltage and drawn current was evaluated. Traditional charger caused very high THD. The authors proposed a smart charger that draws sinusoidal current and has a unity power factor. The smart charger significantly reduced THD compared with traditional charger. The negative effects of EV home chargers on distribution network power quality and transformer life were studied in [93]. The study found a quadratic relation between THDi and life consumption of the transformer. Moreover, the study concluded that THDi should not be more than 25 to 30% to have acceptable increase in life consumption of the transformer. In [94], the impact of EV chargers’ current harmonics on distribution system capacity was studied. Results showed that the 10 kV cable was overloaded at 27.25% penetration level when current harmonics due to EV chargers was considered. However, the cable was overloaded at 30.74% penetration level when current harmonics due to EV chargers was neglected. For harmonics reduction from EVs integration, filters must be added to the EV chargers.
Only a few studies found that EV chargers harmonics result in a minor impact in the distribution network. Most of the studies showed that traditional EV chargers can cause unacceptable harmonics values. These high harmonics will result in decreasing the life cycle of distribution network components (i.e., transformers and cables). However, by proper design of EV charger circuits, control strategy, and filters integrated into the charger circuit, the charger harmonics can be alleviated significantly. More details can be found in Section 5.4.
4.4. Overloading of Distribution Network Components
The high EVs energy demand requires a large amount of electric energy to be transmitted from the generation stations to the distribution networks. The distribution networks’ equipment such as transformers and cables may get overloaded due to the new EVs load and this will lead to stress these components and reduce their lifespan and foster the need for infrastructure upgrade. Several researches were executed to analyze the impacts of EVs charging on distribution system components. In [95], the distribution transformer aging due to uncontrolled charging of EVs with level 1 and 2 charging power was investigated. The results showed that level 2 charging has a higher aging impact on the transformer in comparison with level 1 charging. The impacts of EVs charging on transformer and underground cable were assessed in [96] for low and high penetration levels (i.e., 12.5% and 70%). The transformer and cable were overloaded in both penetration levels. The impact of uncontrolled charging of EVs on distribution transformers with 25 kVA and 50 kVA power rating was examined in [81]. The study considered different penetration levels (i.e., 30% and 50%), different EVs types (i.e., BEV and PHEV), and different charging levels (i.e., level 1 and level 2). Results showed that 50% penetration level resulted in overloading 50% of the 25 kVA transformers and 35% of the 50 kVA transformers. Furthermore, BEV with level 2 charging caused 10% increase in the number of overloaded transformers compared with PHEV with level 1 charging.
In [72], the impact of uncontrolled charging of EVs on the loading of secondary transformers installed in three distribution networks (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural) with different capacities was executed. The study considered penetration levels up to 25%. The study counted the number of transformers overloaded above 20%. EVs charging resulted in increasing the number of transformers overloaded above 20% for suburban area, while urban and rural areas did not have high overloading percentages. The impact of uncontrolled charging on distribution networks transformers and cables was investigated in [97]. Results showed a large increase in the number of overloaded transformers and cables. The number of overloaded transformers and cables decreased by 25% and 8%, respectively, when controlled charging was used. In [98], it was found that the presence of EVs will lead to reducing life duration of distribution transformer. In [99], it was concluded that the uncontrolled charging of EVs will lead to aging of 25 kVA distribution transformer. Moreover, it was found that transformer aging can be reduced using controlled charging strategies.
Another study [100], concluded that uncontrolled level 1 EVs charging has insignificant impact on transformer life but the massive penetration of EVs may have a severe effect on transformer lifespan. The transformer lifespan can be enhanced by using off-peak EV charging and load management [95,100,101]. In [102] the cable loading was examined for EVs peak charging hours. The results demonstrate that the cable can handle up to 25% penetration level for slow charging and up to 15% penetration level for fast charging and cannot handle massive EVs penetration easily.
The high energy demand of EVs will increase the loading at different parts of the power system (i.e., generation, transmission, and distribution). Distribution level is highly affected by EVs charging compared to transmission and generation levels, and most of the studies focused on the impacts of EVs charging on distribution network components. The studies showed that the acceptable EVs penetration level before overloading of network components varies depending on the network components’ capacity and their loading condition before connecting EVs. Studies concluded that the uncontrolled charging of EVs result in overloading of many transformers and cables at the distribution network and can result in reducing their lifespan and requires components upgrade which represents economical challenge to electric utilities. Results showed that many distribution networks can only allow 10% penetration level before overloading if level 2 charging was used. The network can handle higher penetration levels if level 1 slow charging was used. Using proper charging and discharging methods (i.e., delayed charging, controlled charging, V2G, V2B, and V2H), distribution networks can integrate higher EVs penetration levels before they reach their capacity limits. More details can be found in Section 5.3.
4.5. Increase in Power Losses
Extra power demand represented in EVs charging will lead to higher currents flowing and extra power losses in different system components, such as generators, transformers, and cables, which is the main concern for utilities. Various studies were performed to examine the EVs charging impact on system losses. In [103], the impact of uncontrolled charging of EVs on two large scale distribution system was executed under three penetration levels (i.e., 35%, 51%, and 62%). Uncontrolled charging resulted in a large increase in energy losses and required investment cost. Losses and investment costs reduced when delayed charging or controlled charging were used. The impact of uncontrolled charging on power losses at different daily durations was assessed in [80]. Obtained results showed a large increase in power losses especially if EVs were charging at peak period. The study proposed stochastic programming strategies to minimize power losses. In [104], a study examined the EV charging impact on a Danish distribution network. The obtained results showed that for uncontrolled charging with 50% penetration level the grid losses increased by 40% and increased only 10% for controlled charging.
In [105], the impact of EVs charging on distribution transformer power losses was investigated. It was found that for penetration levels ranging from 2% to 40%, the transformer losses increased to more than 300% mainly due to windings copper losses increase. The increase in power losses at the IEEE 33 bus distribution system due to EVs fast charging station was evaluated in [106]. The study investigated many cases by changing the charging station bus and the charging station power consumption. It was found that installing charging stations at weak buses (i.e., far from the main transformer) increased system power losses. Moreover, the power losses could be reduced by distributing charging station load at two buses instead of one bus. In [107], the increase in energy losses of a distribution network due to EVs charging was examined. The distribution network supplies residential and commercial loads and located on a Korean island. The results showed that daily energy losses increased by 66% for 40% penetration level.
Previous studies focused on assessing the impact of uncontrolled EVs charging on the power losses at distribution networks. The studies concluded that uncontrolled EVs charging resulted in a high increase in distribution network power losses. Using proper charging and discharging methods (i.e., delayed charging, controlled charging, V2G, V2B, and V2H), power losses due to EVs charging can be reduced significantly. Additionally, the installation of distributed generation (DG) near the charging location can decrease the energy supplied from the grid, and hence reduce the power losses.
5. Positive Impacts of Electric Vehicles on Electric Power Systems
EVs are parked for most of the daytime [108], and they are connected to the charger for a longer duration than required recharging duration. Therefore, EV battery can be used to provide grid services and gain revenues for EV owners by injecting power to the grid to keep demand–supply balance or by controlling the charging time and power to reduce the charging cost and electricity bill. Many studies showed that controlled EVs charging can improve power system efficiency, reduce operation cost, and minimize RESs curtailment. Moreover, EVs controlled discharging can provide additional benefits and electrical services [109]. EVs can provide short time scale electrical services due to the fast response of battery chargers such as primary frequency control (PFC), medium time scale electrical services, such as secondary frequency control and long time scale electrical services, such as congestion management and minimization of power losses due to the high battery capacity [110]. The focus in reviewing the literature will be in operational aspects and services provided by EVs and not in the optimization algorithms and control methods used due to the broad spectrum of approaches used in these studies [111].
5.1. Frequency Regulation
Power system frequency should be maintained at nominal value (i.e., 50 or 60 Hz) for normal operation. It is considered an important indicator of active power supply–demand balance. In normal operation, the power imbalance occurs due to continuous load variation or fluctuation of RESs generation that depend on weather conditions. In emergency conditions, the power imbalance occurs due to sudden outages of loads, transmission lines, or generating units. Failing to maintain frequency in the specified limits will result in load shedding in case of under frequency or disconnection of generating units in case of over frequency. In traditional power system, frequency regulation is achieved by synchronous generators in large power plants (e.g., hydro and thermal power plants) [112]. In future power systems, controllable loads like heat pumps and EVs will have a significant role in frequency control [113]. EV batteries have a faster response compared to traditional generation units due to the fast response of EV power electronic interface (i.e., EV charger). Therefore, controlled charging and discharging of EVs can be an effective option for frequency regulation. Moreover, frequency regulation is becoming more challenging due to the reduction of system inertia and increase of fluctuation due to the increasing share of RESs with power electronic interface [114-116].
The ability of available commercial EVs (i.e., Nissan Leaf) to provide PFC by only changing the charging power and with no V2G capability was tested experimentally in [117]. A small isolated power system with renewable generation was used as a test system. The results proved the technical feasibility of EVs to provide PFC with fast response time. In [118], the authors studied how EVs can participate in PFC in two ways. The first is to switch off EVs charging and the second way is to inject power to the grid in V2G mode. Another study [119] proposed a control method to provide PFC in three area power system by coordinating EVs charging and discharging while minimizing battery degradation cost. The effectiveness of EVs to provide primary frequency regulation was tested in [120] for a small isolated power system containing wind turbines, diesel generators, and hydro generators. The study verified that EVs were very effective in reducing frequency oscillation with a small change of EVs consumed energy and negligible variation of the required charging time. It also showed that EVs can enable more wind energy share while keeping normal operation.
In [121], the authors studied two modes of EVs charging control for frequency regulation while considering EV owner diving behavior. The first mode only controls the charging power and the second mode controls charging and discharging power. Results showed that EVs were effective in reducing frequency fluctuation. A coordinated control strategy between EV operating in V2G mode and traditional generation for load frequency control (LFC) was proposed in [122]. The proposed control strategy was tested on the Great Britain power system. The results showed the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in improving frequency regulation and reduction of power mismatch. Moreover, due to EV participation, the traditional power generation output variations were reduced. The EVs ability to participate in LFC in a microgrid operating in isolated mode was investigated in [123]. The microgrid contains both renewable and nonrenewable generation. The studies proved that EVs can enhance frequency stability in addition to reducing emissions from nonrenewable generation and increase microgrid operator profit. In [124], EVs operating at V2G mode were used to provide LFC in a multi-area power system containing traditional nonrenewable generation (i.e., thermal, hydro, and gas turbines).
Previous studies results proved the feasibility of using EVs to provide frequency regulation due to its fast response. Results showed that the use of EVs can achieve rapid control action in balancing the generated power and the power demand during load and source variations and the system frequency perturbation controlled by EVs is much lower than the other generation units. EVs can provide frequency control either by regulating charging power with no V2G capability or by regulating charging and discharging power (i.e., V2G capability). In the first approach, frequency regulation can be achieved by only change the EVs charging power. This approach is simple, requires simple infrastructure, and have a limited effect on battery degradation. In the second approach, frequency regulation is provided by controlling both charging and discharging power. This approach is more effective than the first approach. However, this approach is more complex, requires infrastructure upgrade (i.e., ICT and bidirectional chargers), and affect battery life cycle due to continuous charging and discharging. The studies showed that EVs are effective in providing frequency regulation at traditional power systems containing only nonrenewable generation. It resulted in reducing frequency fluctuation and reducing the variation of generation units output power. Furthermore, it is effective when there is a renewable generation installed in traditional power systems. It can reduce fluctuations due to intermittent renewable generation, enable the integration of more renewable generation, and reduce curtailment of renewable generation production. Moreover, EVs proved their effectiveness in providing frequency regulation in microgrids with a high share of renewable generation. It can reduce frequency fluctuation, increase microgrid profit, reduce curtailment from renewable generation, and enable integrating high share of intermittent renewable generation while operating in acceptable limits.
5.2. Voltage Regulation and Reactive Power Compensation
The voltage at any point of the power system must be maintained within acceptable limits. Voltage is an indicator of the loading status of distribution system. Voltage is high if the network is lightly loaded and low if the network is highly loaded. Although the common problem in distribution system is exceeding the lower limit, excessive DG may cause voltage rise and exceeding the voltage upper limit. Keeping the voltage within normal values at distribution level, which usually has a radial structure, is a challenge especially for long feeders and may require voltage regulation devices. Violation of these limits will result in improper operation or damage to the connected loads and may lead to voltage instability. Voltage control can be achieved by active or reactive power control. Active power can be controlled by DGs, energy storage technologies, and controllable devices like EVs and heat pumps. Likewise, reactive power can be controlled by transformers on-load tap changer (OLTC), capacitors, and static var compensators.
Many researchers studied voltage regulation by EVs active power control. An online controlled charging method was tested in [125]. The objective was to maximize EV owners satisfaction while considering distribution network limits. The algorithm minimized voltage deviation, transformer loading, and power losses. In [126], a decentralized/autonomous controlled charging method was proposed. It regulates the charging power based on the local voltage and battery SoC. It charges at a high charging power if the voltage is normal and decrease the charging power or stop charging if the voltage is low. EVs with low SoC have a charging priority. The proposed method reduced the voltage drop and improved the voltage profile compared to uncontrolled charging. In [127], an optimization algorithm was developed to provide peak shaving and valley filling in addition to improving voltage profile by controlling the charging and discharging of EVs. In [128], a controlled EVs charging technique was used to solve the voltage rise issue resulted from excessive PV generation at distribution system.
Another option for EVs based voltage regulation is by using capacitors in the DC link of the EV bidirectional chargers to supply reactive power. EV charger can do this even if the EV is not connected for charging. The ability of level 1 EV bidirectional charger to provide reactive power support was tested in [129]. The study showed that the DC link capacitor can provide reactive power support with no effect on battery degradation. In [130] a direct voltage control method was used to enable EV charger at DC fast charging station to inject reactive power to the grid to regulate bus voltage and reduce system power losses. In [131], a strategy for voltage regulation at distribution network was proposed. It is based on the coordination of DG, OLTC, and EVs providing reactive power support by operating at V2G mode. The proposed algorithm was effective in voltage regulation, minimizing OLTC operation times, and reduce the active power curtailment of DG. A limited number of studies investigated the use of EV chargers for reactive power compensation, which makes it a promising research area to be investigated in future research studies.
From studies results, it can be concluded that uncontrolled charging of EVs can result in a higher voltage drop at distribution networks and voltage values exceeding the acceptable limits, especially in long feeders, and will require infrastructure upgrade by installing voltage regulation devices. However, using controlled charging and discharging methods the voltage at all parts of the distribution network can be kept within acceptable limits and daily voltage profile can be improved without voltage regulation devices. Moreover, studies showed that the EV charger DC link capacitor is effective in providing reactive power support and voltage regulation.
5.3. Congestion Management
Load demand varies during the day and usually have peak hours in the evening. During peak hours expensive generators should be turned on for few hours for supply–demand balance. Uncontrolled charging of EVs will result in enlarging the peak power demand, which results in operating expensive power generation in addition to transmission and distribution networks stress. If the installed generation capacity is less than the required demand at peak period, new power plants must be constructed. This issue can be eliminated or alleviated by using delayed charging, controlled charging, V2G, V2B, and V2H. Using delayed charging and controlled charging can shift EV charging to off peak hours, which results in valley filling as shown in Figure 6b,c. Using V2G, V2B, and V2H technology enables injecting power to the grid, building, or home at peak hours which results in peak shaving and charge at off peak hours which results in valley filling as shown in Figure 6d. The process of peak shaving and valley filling is called load flattening or load leveling, which means reducing the difference between the maximum demand and the minimum demand during the day. By doing this congestion at the power system can be handled (i.e., congestion management).
Delayed charging was proposed in [132], and compared to uncontrolled charging. The results indicated that delayed charging is effective in reducing the stress of distribution system components, reducing voltage drop and power losses compared to uncontrolled charging. A decentralized controlled charging method for valley filling was proposed in [133]. This method needs simple unidirectional communication between the system operator and EV to broadcast day-ahead electricity prices. Based on the price, EV can autonomously control the charging behavior and charge at off peak period to reduce charging costs. This resulted in valley filling and reduction in generation cost by 28% compared to uncontrolled charging. The impact of uncontrolled EVs charging on total power demand was investigated in [134]. Results showed that uncontrolled charging will increase peak demand. Delayed charging and controlled charging were proposed for alleviating the impact of uncontrolled charging. The results showed that the proposed methods were very efficient in shifting the EVs charging from peak period and postponing any network upgrade.
Another study showed that the German transmission system cannot handle large scale uncontrolled EV charging even with future expansion plans [135]. It also showed that V2G technology is effective in reducing transmission system congestion and enhance grid stability. The effectiveness of V2G in providing peak shaving and valley filling was proved in [136]. By allowing some of the EVs to inject power back to the grid at peak period resulted in reducing the original peak demand (i.e., peak shaving). By allowing EVs to charge at off peak period only resulted in valley filling. In [137], the integration of EVs in a weak isolated grid in a Spanish island was studied. The study proposed a strategy for coordinated charging and discharging of EVs. Results proved the effectiveness of EVs in the efficient management of the grid, in addition to filling the valley and shaving the peak demand.
In [138], V2B was used in a building-integrated microgrid which contains EVs, battery storage, and PV. The objective was to reduce the peak load, which will decrease subscribed power rating and reducing the building electricity bill. The study showed that V2B can enable peak load shaving. By encouraging more buildings to have a similar management system it can reduce the peak load demand in the distribution system or even the whole grid. The effectiveness of V2H in reducing home peak demand was tested in [64]. Results showed that V2H was very effective in minimizing home peak demand and home electricity bills.
Previous studies’ results showed that uncontrolled charging of EVs will result in an increase of peak demand at different levels of the power system (i.e., generation, transmission, and distribution) and can overload many network components and will require components upgrade which represents high investment costs for system operators. A more cost-effective solution to these issues is using proper charging methods. The studies proved that simple charging method like delayed charging, which only depends on variable electricity prices during the day, can shift most of the EVs load to off-peak hours by motivating EV owners to decrease the charging costs. Delayed charging can lead to reducing the increase in peak demand, reduce the number of overloaded components, postpone infrastructure upgrades, and valley filling. A more advanced charging method is controlled charging, where EVs can change their charging time and power depending on many variables such as electricity prices, load demand, components loading, grid constraints, etc., depending on the proposed control strategy. Controlled charging can lead to reduced charging costs, reduced increase in peak demand, reduction in the number of overloaded components, delay in network components upgrade, and valley filling. Moreover, the use of V2G, V2B, and V2B can provide more benefits to the grid and EV owners. By injecting stored energy in EV batteries to the grid, the peak demand can be shaved (i.e., peak shaving) and reduce power system operation costs by shutting down generation units with high operating costs. Furthermore, they can defer the need for infrastructure upgrades, gain revenue for EV owners by charging when the electricity price is low and discharge when the electricity price is high (i.e., energy arbitrage), and reduce home or building electricity bills.
5.4. Improving Power Quality
Although single phase uncontrolled charging of EVs may cause a severe effect on system unbalance, controlled charging methods can decrease system unbalance. In [139], the reduction of voltage unbalance by controlling EVs charging current was tested experimentally. The proposed control method is autonomous and depends only on local voltage measurement without the need for infrastructure upgrade and expensive communication infrastructure. The results proved that the proposed EVs controlled charging method can reduce voltage unbalance and minimize voltage drop. In another study, a method based on PV and EVs interaction for voltage unbalance minimization was tested in [140]. In [141], an optimization algorithm was used to control the charging and discharging of EVs to minimize VUF. An unbalanced distribution network with 1.93% VUF was used to test the proposed strategy. Uncontrolled charging of EVs increased the VUF significantly to 7.7%. The controlled charging of EVs declined the VUF to 0.71%. Controlled charging and discharging of EVs dropped the VUF to 0.5%. To control the voltage unbalance, the number of EVs connected at each phase was optimized using a genetic algorithm in [142]. The authors of [143] proposed a hybrid method combining centralized controlled charging of EVs and decentralized controlled discharging of reactive power for voltage unbalance minimization. The proposed strategy was effective in reducing VUF compared to uncontrolled charging case.
It was presented in Section 4.3 that EV chargers can result in significant harmonic distortion. However, the proper design of charger power electronics circuits and control methods can minimize or eliminate this issue. Few studies proposed EV chargers that cause no harmonic distortion or can provide harmonic filtering. A novel control strategy applied to onboard bidirectional three phase EV charger was proposed in [144]. The proposed method enabled the charger to draw or inject sinusoidal current with no harmonics regardless of the power quality of the grid. Another study [144] proposed EV charger that can operate as active filter and eliminate the harmonics caused by other loads at the charger connection point in addition to providing reactive power compensation. In [145], the EV charging station was used to eliminate the harmonics in distribution network by acting as active filter.
The high penetration of PV generation at distribution network can cause power quality issues due to its intermittent nature and dependence on weather conditions. The variation of weather conditions (i.e., clouds) results in fluctuation of PV power output which can cause voltage fluctuation and light flicker. Therefore, DSOs need to develop mechanisms to mitigate power quality issues caused by the fluctuation of PV output. Several studies proposed controlled charging of EVs as a possible solution to alleviate the fluctuations caused by PV generation [146-148]. For instance, reference [148] assessed the impacts of rapid variation of PV output on voltage fluctuation at low voltage distribution network for three scenarios. The study proposed a controlled charging of EVs to mitigate voltage fluctuations. The results proved the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in reducing voltage fluctuations and accompanied light flicker.
The previous sections demonstrated that EVs can provide many benefits and services to electric power systems. A very important secondary benefit that EVs can provide is helping the integration of RESs. It is well known that to face environmental challenges and depletion of fossil fuel, large capacities of RESs are being installed worldwide. Most of RESs installations are PV and wind due to the technology advancement and fast drop in their prices. Electricity generation from RESs like PV and wind are variable and intermittent depending on environmental conditions (i.e., sun and wind) and hard to predict or forecast. This increases fluctuation and uncertainty in power system besides load fluctuation [149]. Moreover, they are non-dispatchable generation and they cannot change the generated power following demand variations like traditional power plants, which increase the need for more flexibility in the power system which cannot be provided by central power plants only. More flexibility in the power system can be achieved from distribution systems by demand response (i.e., controllable or dispatchable loads) and energy storage.
Till now there is no economical utility-scale energy storage technology. EVs can act as controllable loads by controlled charging and as energy storage by V2G, V2B, and V2H. Several studies investigated how EVs can enable integrating more RESs [150]. EVs can absorb excess RESs generation and deliver it to the grid when needed. In [151], it was concluded that EVs and heat pumps can reduce the cost of integrating RESs, such as required balancing cost and required back-up generation cost. In [152], based on the German 2030 scenario of RESs penetration, it was found that by controlling EVs charging more RESs can be integrated into the power system. In [153], two case studies were considered for Germany and California 2030 scenario with a high share of EVs and RESs. It concluded that the smart charging of EVs can mitigate RESs fluctuation.
Reference [154], investigated the impact of V2G on two power systems and with different penetration of wind generation, from 0% to 100%. It was found that V2G can enable a higher share of wind power generation in the power system. An optimization strategy was tested in [155] to schedule the charging of EVs which were connected to microgrid with PV and wind generation. The proposed strategy achieved load leveling in addition to reducing microgrid operating costs and EVs charging costs. The impact of EVs operating at controlled charging mode or V2G mode on the operation of a power system with high share of RESs was examined in [156]. Results showed that controlled EVs charging and discharging reduced deployed reserves usage, better usage of renewable generation by reducing wind spillage, and reduced operation cost. In [157], it was found that controlled charging and discharging of EVs can reduce operation costs and reduce emissions, besides maximizing RESs utilization. In [158], an optimization algorithm was used to manage EVs charging and discharging to increase the penetration of RESs. The proposed strategy was able to increase PV penetration up to 50%.
6. Discussions and Future Research Directions
The main contribution of this article is to provide a review of potential negative impacts of EVs charging on electric power systems mainly due to uncontrolled charging, and how through proper charging and discharging methods, those impacts can be reduced and become even positive impacts as discussed in Section 4 and Section 5. For each potential negative impact or positive impact of EVs, the findings and conclusions of a few research papers were discussed as examples of the research done at each point to clarify it. Figure 8 provides a summary of the negative impacts of uncontrolled EVs charging on the electric power system and how these impacts can be mitigated or even become positive impacts using suitable charging and discharging methods.
Figure 8. Uncontrolled charging negative impacts on the power system and how it can be mitigated and become positive impact using the proper charging/discharging method.
As described in previous sections, there is a lot of ongoing research on the integration of EVs to electric power system, focusing on accurate evaluation of the negative impacts of uncontrolled EV charging or the services and benefits EVs may provide if other smart charging and discharging methods are used. Other research areas that are being investigated by researchers are:
Cost–benefit analysis of different charging and discharging methods
Most of the studies that investigate the benefits that smart charging and discharging methods can provide focus on the technical feasibility and charging cost. However, there is a need to assess the cost of providing these services on EV batteries degradation, because EV battery is a very expensive component in EVs. After that, the economic feasibility of different charging and discharging methods can be accurately estimated. Reference [159] executed a cost–benefit analysis of controlled charging and V2G implementation considering EV batteries degradation cost. The results showed that controlled charging is economical. Moreover, the study concluded that V2G implementation is not economical without wind generation presence, while it is economical in the presence of wind generation. This area requires more studies to evaluate the economic feasibility of different EV smart charging and discharging methods on different case studies and different scenarios. The different scenarios can consider the economic feasibility of using EVs to provide various services (i.e., frequency regulation, voltage regulation, congestion management, etc.; or consider different power systems with different characteristics (i.e., presence of different types of RESs, different penetration levels of RESs, types of power plants, etc.).
Coordination between transmission system operator (TSO) and distribution system operator (DSO) for providing EV services
As explained in previous sections, EVs can provide many local and system-wide power and energy services. Figure 9 summarizes the services provided to different power system parties (i.e., transmission system operator (TSO), DSO, and loads such as buildings or homes) [160]. It is worth mentioning that the provision of system-wide services by EVs may result in issues at distribution system at which EVs are connected which may result in conflict of interests between TSO and DSO. For instance, the use of EVs to provide a TSO service such as frequency regulation which requires continuous change at charging and discharging power may cause negative impacts at the distribution system managed by DSO such as overloading of distribution network components, phase unbalance, etc. Therefore, there is a need for coordination between TSO and DSO to guarantee reliable and cost-efficient EVs based services [161,162]. This topic is rarely investigated in the literature and there many open questions that require study. Therefore, it requires more attention in future research.
Figure 9. EV services provided to different power system parties.
Planning of public charging Infrastructure
With the large-scale adoption of EVs in the near future, many public EV charging stations will be deployed in streets, highways, workplaces, shopping centers, etc. One of the main challenges for EVs acceptance is its limited range compared to ICEVs and driver range anxiety. Therefore, the EV chargers deployment must be planned accurately and efficiently to achieve both transportation and power system objectives and needs. Many studies investigated the planning of future EV charging infrastructure. The studies considered the optimal location and capacity of EV chargers [163]. Some studies considered the transportation network only without considering power system conditions. Other studies considered the power system only without considering transportation networks. These studies consider power system economic and operation constraints while reducing investments required for power system infrastructure upgrade. It is worth mentioning that EV charging stations couple both transportation network and power system; therefore, both must be taken into account at EV charging infrastructure planning. Few studies considered both transportation network and power system at the planning of EV chargers [164], because EV infrastructure planning studies require real data for both the transportation sector and power system, which varies between countries. There is a room for more research in this area considering different case studies.
7. Conclusions
The paper presented EVs technology and the current need for it as well as its benefits compared to traditional vehicles in addition to challenges it must tackle to achieve high adoption and social acceptance. Furthermore, it presented the current EVs market and future predictions. Different charging technologies were presented such as conductive charging, which is the current charging method and other charging methods such as wireless charging and battery swapping which may have future potential. A review of the negative impacts that EV may cause on electric power systems if uncontrolled EV charging is used was presented. Conclusions of many studies that assessed these impacts were discussed. All the studies showed that uncontrolled EV charging will result in unwanted negative impacts on the power system especially the distribution networks and it will foster the need for infrastructure upgrade. The severity of these impacts varies between different studies due to many uncertainties in EV charging impacts studies (e.g., distribution system status, EV battery capacity, EV battery SoC, time and location of charging, EV charger power rating, and EV penetration level).
The paper also showed that these impacts can be mitigated using delayed charging and controlled charging methods, which can benefit both the power system and EV owner. More benefits and electrical services can be obtained from EVs with advanced charging control methods like V2G, V2B, and V2H. Different electrical services that can be provided with controlled charging/discharging of EVs were presented and discussed. This review article briefly discussed the main research areas that are being investigated for the integration of EVs to sustainable future power system, which can be helpful for engineers and researchers. It further discussed a few interesting research topics that need more study in future research.
Author Contributions: M.N. wrote the manuscript first draft. J.P.C.-Á., G.M., and Á.S.-M. reviewed, edited, and suggested modifications to the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding: This research received no external funding. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Abbreviations
List of abbreviations used in this paper.
AC
Alternating Current
BEV
Battery Electric Vehicles
BSS
Battery Swapping Stations
CO2
Carbon Dioxide
DC
Direct Current
DG
Distributed Generation
DSO
Distribution System Operator
EM
Electric Motor
EV
Electric Vehicle
EVSE
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment
FCEV
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
G2V
Grid to Vehicle
GHGs
Greenhouse gases
h
Hour
HEV
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
ICE
Internal Combustion Engine
ICEV
Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle
IEA
International Energy Agency
IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IWC
Inductive Wireless Charging
km
Kilometer
kVA
Kilo volt ampere
kW
Kilowatt
kWh
Kilowatt hour
LFC
Load Frequency Control
Li-ion
Lithium-ion
OLTC
On-Load Tap Changer
PFC
Primary Frequency Control
PHEV
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
PLDV
passenger light-duty vehicles
PV
Photovoltaic
RES
Renewable Energy Source
SoC
State of Charge
THD
Total Harmonic Distortion
THDi
Total Harmonic Distortion of current
THDv
Total Harmonic Distortion of Voltage
ToU
Time of Use
TSO
Transmission System Operator
V2B
Vehicle to Building
V2G
Vehicle to Grid
V2H
Vehicle to Home
VUF
Voltage Unbalance Factor
WC
Wireless Charging
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Published by Natthanon Phannil, Chaiyan Jettanasen and Atthapol Ngaopitakkul * Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand; Emails: aun_2535_006@hotmail.com (N.P.); chaiyan.je@kmitl.ac.th (C.J.) *Correspondence: atthapol.ng@kmitl.ac.th; Tel.: +66-(0)2-329-8330
Abstract
This paper proposes the study and analysis of harmonics, energy consumption and power quality of light emitting diode (LED) lamps equipped in building lighting systems. LED lamps with external (LED MR16) and internal (LED light bulb) drivers are investigated using an experimental setup to compare the results. The power quality of both LED lamps is studied by using a power quality meter to measure the generated harmonic currents from various case studies. The case study is divided into four major cases: one LED lamp is turned on with one driver, two LED lamps are turned on using the two drivers, eight LED lamps are turned on with one driver, and eight LED lamps are turned on with the eight drivers. As harmonics are related to total power factor (PF), which affects the energy savings of the building, hence, a filtering circuit to reduce harmonic current has been designed and implemented to improve power quality and/or power factor of the system. The different cases of harmonic filter insertion at the input of an LED lamp’s driver are discussed and then compared with a lighting standard to show the effectiveness of the passive filtering technique used in the studied system. In addition, the obtained result can be applied to both newly built and retrofitted buildings that aim to use LED technology to increase energy efficiency and decrease energy costs, and could be a helpful guide for end-users and manufacturers in addressing and developing LED issues.
Keywords:energy consumption; harmonic; light emitting diode; lighting system; power quality
1. Introduction
The world is facing significant energy challenges due to the rapid increase in energy demand stemming from the constantly growing world economy and population. With the rapid increase in energy consumption rates, limited fossil fuel resources and associated environmental issue, many countries are pushing energy policies with the objective of supporting renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency in every sector, in particular in urban buildings [1,2]. According to data from Energy Policy & Planning Office (EPPO) of the Ministry of Energy [3], Thailand’s total energy consumption in 2014 has been steadily increasing at a rate of 2.6% over the previous year. Considering the share of electricity consumption by sector in Thailand, based on historical energy data and statistical review [3-5], the growth of energy consumption in the business and residential sectors considerably surpassed economic growth. With this energy trend, the near future power generation capacity may not be able to keep up with electricity demand. It is worldwide accepted that energy conservation and energy efficiency improvement are essential issues to address the aforementioned challenges.
One of the methodologies to improve energy situation is increasing energy conservation and energy efficiency in building. The efficient use of lighting in buildings is another effective method for improving energy efficiency since lighting electricity systems account for so much energy use, typically approximately 20% to 30% of the electricity consumption in the building [6]. Thus, lighting is an important concern for building owners, and therefore to the entire economy. In general, the residential use of fluorescent lighting is varied, depending on many factors, such as the price of energy, financial and environmental concerns of the local people, and light output acceptability. In Thailand, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) successfully persuaded consumers and/or users to use various kinds of high-efficiency lamps to achieve the energy efficiency of lighting system. The light emitting diode (LED) is the most popular energy-efficient source of lighting that used in many application areas. The LED lamps have recently come into the lighting market as an energy efficient alternative compared to traditional light sources such as incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. In recent years, along with the upward economic development trend of the emerging economy, the LED lighting market in Thailand has become a significant one that is drawing global attention. Nonetheless, the present energy savings will ultimately depend on the commitment of both industry and government.
However, power quality issue caused by increasing power electronic equipment such as LED lamps must be also taken into consideration. Since the LED lamp has a driver, which is a switching device that can generate harmonics and electromagnetic interference (EMI), so it is important to control the volume and noise reduction to avoid negative impacts on the building’s electrical system. In business, many dealers are not always aware of or even ignore the fact that these products should fulfil electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements or electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the system due to the functioning of the switching devices of the LED driver. The measured results were compared directly with the limits in the harmonic standard without taking into account the measurement uncertainty. By considering the EMC for the lighting system, generally, the standard for lighting equipment is International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61000-3-2:2018 which is the standard for harmonic current emissions limits (equipment with a rated input current ≤16 A). The considered IEC 61000-3-2:2018 standard is the update version; it concerns for example lighting equipment with a rated power ≤25 W taken into account for new type of lighting equipment, the modification of the requirements applied to the dimmers when operating non-incandescent lamps, and a clarification for lighting equipment including a control module with an active input power ≤2 W, and etc. [7]. For the lighting equipment, IEC 61000-3-2:2018 classifies lighting in class C and class D permitted value has been using for lighting equipment with rated power less than 25 W. Limit of harmonic current of lighting equipment for class C and D is described in Table 1.
Table 1. Limit of harmonic current of lighting equipment (class C and D equipment) [8].
Despite some advantages of LED lamps, many power quality issues resulting from the switching devices inside LED drivers must be taken into consideration, so this paper proposes an analysis of power quality from LED lamps in terms of generated harmonics in the lighting system. LED lamps with both external drivers (LED MR16 type) and internal drivers (LED light bulb type) that are commercially available in Thailand have been used and an experimental setup has been built. Section 2 presents the experimental setup used in this research and measures different parameters of power quality in terms of generated harmonic current from LED lamps in various case studies. The methodology in paper consists of building an experimental setup for LED lamps. Power quality meters and an oscilloscope have been used to obtain electrical parameters, the harmonic current in each order, voltage and current waveforms. Harmonic filter design is then carried out to overcome the harmonic problem. Section 3 proposes a filtering circuit to reduce harmonic current and improve total harmonic distortion (THD). The obtained harmonic currents before and after adding the filtering circuit are compared to the standard value set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Conclusions and the discussion appear in Section 4. The obtained results from this research can be applied to buildings that are considering the replacement of conventional luminaires by LED luminaires, or newer buildings that are taking energy savings into account.
2. Literature Review
Research and studies from Thailand and various other countries in the field of energy efficiency technology and measurement implemented to reduce energy consumption have been reviewed [9-25]. To achieve their targets, energy consumption and various related factors such as climate must be considered and discussed to evaluate energy usage and energy saving potential [9-11]. A methodology for estimating building energy consumption and energy cost was presented by Gruber et al. [6]. The impact of climate change on energy demand and electric consumption in urban heat islands have been discussed in research by Santamouris et al. [10]. The results indicated that the increase of ambient temperature can increase electric demand by 0.5–8.5% per degree of temperature. Parkpoom and Harrison’s research [11] has evaluated the effect of temperature rising on electricity demand in Thailand. Their research forecasted that electrical peak demand will be increased 1.5–3.1% in 2020. In [12], an assessment of energy-saving solutions in high-rise office building in The Netherlands was presented. The results indicated that high-performance envelope design could contribute to energy savings of up to 42%. A new scheme for real time home power management (RTHPM) has been proposed by Hanife [13]. The proposed system produced a real-time solution for smart homes to avoid the high peak demand problem and save energy costs. Study on smart home energy management have been presented by many researchers with different kinds of control strategies to reduce energy consumption and energy cost while increasing comfort in the household [14-16]. In [19], a study by Sun et al. proposed an energy management system in buildings that integrated heating, cooling, shading and ventilation. The results showed that the proposed strategy could effectively reduce energy consumption in buildings. For energy usage in the lighting system in residential sector, Popoola et al.’s research has presented a methodology for estimating lighting usage patterns with considerations of natural light and occupancy using the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System model [22]. Another study estimating energy use in lighting systems was presented in Parise et al.’s research [23]. The suggested procedure has taken lighting control and behavior of the occupants into consideration. From the literature discussed above, it can be seen that researchers from various countries are constantly studying and developing newer methodologies and technologies that can be implemented in the buildings to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
In fact, researchers have continually investigated LED for energy efficiency improvement and energy conservation in developing countries [26-35]. In [26,27], energy saving calculations were done for LED technology alone. Solid-state lighting, especially LEDs, is one of the promising and quickly developing lighting technologies for replacing old technologies. Even though the LED’s development leads to increase lighting consumption, energy savings are still important when considering the situation of using current technology. The results showed the potential of using LEDs by reducing household lighting energy use and corresponding CO2 emissions in Finland. The energy savings estimations in this paper, however, were based on the current level of household lighting energy use. In [28,29], the study has focused on the change of the lighting set, especially LEDs, at home. The proposed LED lighting system used multi-sensors and wireless communication technology for controlling an LED luminaire in accordance with the user’s state and the surroundings were presented in [28]. A smart LED lighting system for industrial and domestic use was implemented, and taken into account for visual comfort and energy savings of interior lighting were discussed in [29]. Another analysis of LED lamps concentrate on life cycle assessment showing that with current technology, LEDs have few advantages over compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) [30]. A LED driver is an important component of a LED lamp, so the high efficiency driver affects to smooth lighting and energy saving in lighting application [31]. As a result, todays, although LED lamps have many advantages and their performance greatly improved, LEDs also have some disadvantages or side effects [20-29]. Without standards, customers have difficulty when purchasing LED-based products and the market can easily become full of confusion and disorder. Most LED lighting equipment is manufactured in China, with only a few sets of equipment being manufactured in Europe. Many lighting products in the market have been imported by dealers or retailers from third countries and sold under their own brand name. Sometimes, these dealers are not aware of or even ignore the fact that these products should follow or meet EMC requirements or EMI in the system due to the functioning of the switching devices in the LED driver. The measured results were compared directly with the limits in the harmonic standard without taking into account the measurement uncertainty.
A light emitting diode (LED) lamp is a harmonic source because it consists of an AC to DC rectifier and a current source converter to regulate the current that supplies LED arrays. Thus, the topic of the harmonic emission of LED lamps is studied in many research articles. In [30], incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, CFLs, and LEDs, which are the general lamps for the residential sector, are compared. The results showed that the fluorescent lamp, CFL, and LED are the source of harmonics, with CFLs and LEDs being the major sources. The existing electronic ballast has some major power quality problems: poor power factor (PF), high crest factor (CF) and high total harmonic distortion (%THD), which do not together meet the IEC61000-3-2 standard for class C lighting equipment. Saxena et al. [32] investigated the power quality of different household light sources: an incandescent lamp, fluorescent lamps with magnetic and electronic ballast, CFL, and LED. The measurement of power quality i.e., total harmonic distortion (THD), power consumption, luminous performance and power factors, were discussed. The results revealed that LED has the worst power quality, which provides the greatest THD and the lowest power factors, damaging sensitive electronic devices and utility assets. Experimental results comparing measurements with the standards are still lacking. Gil-de-Castro et al. [33] presented measurements of harmonic emissions from household appliances when conventional lighting is replaced with CFL and LED lamps. The results were compared with the IEC 61000-3-12 and IEEE 519 standards. It can be concluded that the use of CFL and LED lamps will cause an increase or decrease of harmonic emission. In addition, large-scale installation of the CFL and LED lamps might increase harmonics at higher frequencies. However, the total emission of study cases is satisfied for the limits set of the standards. Khan and Abas [34] compared the power quality parameters of different light sources. Although LED lamps provide great energy efficiency, they causes poor power quality due to their high current harmonic distortion and low power factors.
Rönnberg et al. [35-37] presented the impact of power quality when incandescent lamps are changed to LED lamps in order to achieve more energy savings. The power quality measurements based on laboratory tests were implemented for a domestic customer [35], a hotel [36], and an urban area [37]. The use of LED lamps leads to an increase in current harmonic distortion of 3rd, 5th, 7th orders. However, the amplitude of the harmonics is somewhat small due to their low power rating, and it is found to be below the IEC61000-3-12 standard. Hence, the harmonic effect on the electrical grid does not noticeably increase when a large number of LED lamps are employed. However, LED lamps are widespread not only in households due to the important role they play in saving energy. As a result, a decrease in the power quality of power distribution as a large number of LED lamps are usually connected to the same bus, resulting in high current harmonic distortion fed into the power system. For this reason, the power quality resulting from using LED lamps in power distribution systems needs to be studied and analyzed [38-45]. In Molina et al.’s work [38], a frequency-domain low-watt LED lamp model for current harmonic distortion calculation, which is applied for large-scale harmonic penetration, is discussed. Blanco and Parra [39] analyzed the voltage and current harmonic distortion of distribution systems when supplying energy to LED lamps.
Verma et al. [41] investigated the effect of harmonic generated from LED’s driver. Various LED brands were selected and compared. Additionally, the combination of different LED brands aimed to reduce the harmonic distortion is proposed. The results show that each brand of LED lamp gives a great variety of harmonic distortion values compared to the standard IEC 61000-3-2 class C, and the combination method can reduce the harmonic emission. Gil-de-Castro et al. [43] studied the power quality results of 24 different LED lamps in terms of harmonics and flicker. The LED lamps were measured and compared based on the harmonic current spectrum and light intensity variations at the same voltage magnitude. The results revealed that the harmonic emission of the LED lamps depends considerably on technology, i.e., power electronics, used within the LED lamps. Thus, the active power and the prices of LED lamps have no connection with the harmonic distortion they produce. Dolara and Leva [44] conducted measurements of power quality in indoor lighting systems using several types of LED and CFL lamps. The results showed that the use of drivers and ballasts in LED and CFL lamps, respectively, caused harmonic generation. Different lamp manufacturers use many driver technologies, leading to various current harmonic distortion values generated from the lamps. Many researches which have studied the harmonic emissions of LED lamps and drivers show that LED lamps can generate a lot of harmonic emissions. The IEC 61000-3-2 class C is used to compare with the harmonic emission of LED lamps, but some studies use lower 25-watt LED lamps which are not consistent with the IEC 61000-3-2 class C. Therefore, this paper employs the IEC 61000-3-2 class C and D to consider the harmonic emission. Additionally, many studies use different brands of LED lamps, but all of them use the E-27 lamp socket and internal LED driver. In this research, internal and external drivers are studied using two brands of LED lamps with each driver and varying the number of lamps and drivers.
There are numerous traditional and innovative techniques [45-52] that can be used to reduce or suppress harmonics unintentionally produced in any electrical/electronic system. Harmonics generated by lighting equipment and reduction methods have been presented in Chiradeja et al.’s research [5]. The study used fluorescent lamps with both magnetic and electronic ballasts to evaluate the harmonic issues in each type of luminaire. A study by Karim and et al. [45] proposed a low pass filter which could be used for LED harmonic attenuation. The experiment used an 18 W LED lamp with the external driver as the harmonic source. The harmonic emission is compared with the IEC 61000-3-2 class C and the total harmonic distortion (THDI) was 176.6% and 25.3% without and with the low pass filter, respectively. Shi’s research [46] presented a method to mitigate this harmonic distortion. The grid system is divided into three positions for placing the harmonic filter, including installing a three-phase filter at the substation, installing a single-phase filter at the secondary side of the transformer and installing a single-phase filter at the house. The set of combined single-tuned passive filters is employed to reduce the 3rd, 5th, 7th characteristic harmonics in a residence. It can reduce the harmonic voltage by 16–34% and the harmonic current by around 30%. Harmonic attenuation can be achieved by using different techniques. One of the most popular ways is the use of a passive low-pass filter which is presented in this research. This method is capable of reducing the harmonic emission from the lighting system in a satisfactory, effective, inexpensive, and easy to use way, so it is suitable for use in harmonic attenuation of indoor lighting systems where the user does not need to have extensive knowledge of electrical systems. In this research, the attenuation performance of the low-pass filter, which affects internal and external drivers, is compared.
3. Experimental Setup and Harmonic Results
In this section, an experimental setup with two types of LED lamp has been employed to evaluate their impact on power quality in terms of generated harmonics. LED lamps with an external driver (LED MR16 type) and with an internal driver (LED light bulb type) presently available on the market in Thailand were investigated. The objective was to discover the effect of the number of drivers and type of drivers on harmonic generation.
3.1. The LED Lamp with External Driver
The experimental setup for the LED lamp with an external driver is shown in Figure 1, while the detailed schematic layout of equipment in this setup is presented in Table 2. As shown in Figure 1, the experimental setup is a rack consisting of three layers. A layout diagram of the LED lamp and driver in each layer of experimental setup are illustrated in Figure 2. Each layer consists of nine LED lamps, nine LED drivers, and nine ON/OFF switches to operate each LED lamp and LED driver individually, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2. For the driver, two brands are used to evaluate the power quality and the quality of different commercial brands. Considering Figure 2b, the LED driver needs alternative current (AC) from the laboratory, line (L) and neutral (N), and its output is direct current (DC) supplied to the LED lamp through connection points (V+), and (V−). The LED lamp receives DC current from the LED driver at connection points (R), and (B) and the switches S1–S9 are used for ON/OFF operation for each LED lamp and driver, as depicted in Figure 2a.
Figure 1. Experimental setup of light emitting diode (LED) lamps and drivers.
Figure 2. Schematic diagram layout of equipment in experimental setup. (a) Layout of the LED lamp of each layer; (b) Layout of LED Driver in each layer.
Table 2. List of lighting equipment for experimental setup.
The case study is divided into two major cases. The first case examines only brand A; this case is also divided into four subcases cases: one LED lamp is turned on with the one driver (in the case of one LED lamp and one driver), two LED lamps are turned on using the two drivers (in the case of two LED lamps and two drivers), eight LED lamps are turned on with one driver (in the case of eight LED lamps and one driver), and eight LED lamps are turned on with the eight drivers (in the case of eight LED lamps and eight drivers). The objective is to discover the effect of the number of drivers and type of drivers for generating harmonics. The next major case study concerns only brand B, and is carried out in the same way as for brand A: one LED lamp and one driver, two LED lamps and two drivers, eight LED lamps and one driver, and eight LED lamps and eight drivers. The wiring diagram of LED lamp and driver for each case study is illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Layout circuit wiring diagram of the LED equipment of each layer. (a) Wiring diagram of LED lamp in case of one LED lamp; (b) Wiring diagram of LED driver in case of one LED lamp and one LED driver; (c) Wiring diagram of LED lamp in case of two LED lamps and two LED drivers; (d) Wiring diagram of LED driver in case of two LED lamps and two LED drivers.
Figure 3. Layout circuit wiring diagram of the LED equipment of each layer. (e) Wiring diagram of LED lamp in case of eight LED lamps and one LED driver; (f) Wiring diagram of LED driver in case of eight LED lamps and one LED driver; (g) Wiring diagram of LED lamp in case of eight LED lamps and eight LED drivers; (h) Wiring diagram of LED driver in case of eight LED lamps and eight LED drivers.
From the wiring diagram of the LED driver, it can be seen that the driver can separately control each LED lamp using SB1 through SB9 switches, while one switch can control the multi-LED lamp using the one driver that can operate by connecting the V+ terminal in driver to the R in the LED lamp, as depicted in Figure 3. However, in case of eight LED lamps and one LED driver as shown in Figure 3e,f, only one switch is operating for one LED drivers and other LED lamps has been connected in parallel from connecting terminal R, and B.
The single line diagram of the overall experimental setup is presented in Figure 4. The experimental setup is carried out at a voltage level of 230 V that is the single-phase power supply from laboratory (number 1 in Figure 4). In addition, the 30 A circuit breaker from the test bench and 5 A fuse (number 2 in Figure 4), which are the protective devices for the experimental setup (number 5 in Figure 4), are used.
Figure 4. Overall diagram of LED lighting experimental setup.
A power quality meter (435-II, Fluke, Everett, Washington, United States) is used to measure the electrical parameters and harmonics, while the current waveform of each case study can be captured from oscilloscope (WaveSurfer 3000 Series Oscilloscopes, Teledyne LeCroy, Chestnut Ridge, New York, United States).
After performing the various case studies, the obtained results can be summarized as shown in Table 3, while the current waveforms and harmonic current spectra are illustrated in Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7 and Figure 8. By considering the data of brand A driver in Table 3, one LED lamp with one driver (in the case of one LED lamp and one driver) is considered as the base case for brand A. It can be observed that the real power is approximately 5 W at a current of 0.049 A, while the percentage of total harmonic current distortion (%THDi) has a value of 187.6%; this indicates that the lighting system using LED has low energy consumption, but would generate high levels of harmonics in a system or building. By increasing the number of lamps and drivers (in the case of two LED lamps and two drivers), the current and all power increase significantly, by approximately 2=fold but the %THDi exhibits a small change. Moreover, it can be seen that the percentage of total harmonic voltage distortion (%THDv) and the power factor do not experience a significant change. Further analysis of brand A in Table 3, shows that when the number of LED lamps is changed from one lamp to eight lamps but the number of drivers remains the same (in the case of eight LED lamps and one driver), the current and all power tend to increase approximately 8-fold in comparison with the base case of the brand A driver (the case of one LED lamp and one driver) but the %THDi decreases slightly. Finally, when the number of LED lamps and drivers changes from one lamp to eight lamps (in the case of eight LED lamps and eight drivers), the current and all power tend to increase approximately 8-fold in comparison with the base case of the brand A driver, and the change is same as for the eight LED lamps and one driver setup; this indicates that the number of LED lamps is the factor that should be considered to save energy in a building, while the number of drivers has little or no impact on energy savings. By considering the %THDi in all cases of brand A, it can be noticed that the harmonic reduction should be improved.
Figure 5. Experimental waveform for case of LED lamp and driver with brand A. (a) Current waveform in the case of one lamp with one driver; (b) Current waveform in the case of two lamps with two drivers
Figure 5. Experimental waveform for case of LED lamp and driver with brand A. (c) Current waveform in the case of eight lamps with one driver; (d) Current waveform in the case of eight lamps with eight drivers
Figure 6. Experimental waveform for case of LED lamp and driver with brand B. (a) Current waveform in the case of one lamp with one driver; (b) Current waveform in the case of two lamps with two drivers; (c) Current waveform in the case of eight lamps with one driver; (d) Current waveform in the case of eight lamps with eight drivers.
Figure 7. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp. (a) Harmonic spectrum of Brand A LED lamp (%f)
Figure 7. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp. (b) Harmonic spectrum of Brand A LED lamp (mA/W)
Figure 7. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp. (c) Harmonic spectrum of Brand B LED lamp (%f)
Figure 7. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp. (d) Harmonic spectrum of Brand B LED lamp (mA/W).
Figure 8. Comparison of harmonic spectrum for case of eight LED lamps with eight drivers among different brands of LED lamp. (a) Harmonic spectrum of LED lamp (%f)
Figure 8. Comparison of harmonic spectrum for case of eight LED lamps with eight drivers among different brands of LED lamp. (b) Harmonic spectrum of LED lamp (mA/W)
Table 3. Summary results from experimental setup for each driver brand.
After carrying out the various driver cases with brand B, one LED lamp with one driver is also considered as the base case for brand B, as shown in Table 3. By considering the base case of one driver with brand B in Table 3, it can be observed that the real power is approximately 6 W at a current of 0.068 A, while the %THDi has a value of 99.5%; this indicates that there is a slight mismatch between the energy consumption and power quality in the LED lighting system. Moreover, the power factor of brand B is less than that of the base case of brand A. Based on a further analysis of all case studies of drivers with brand B, it can be seen that the all parameters exhibit the same behavior as the driver with brand A for each case study, but the all parameters of the brand B driver have a higher value than those of brand A, except for the power factor and %THDi.
The current waveforms obtained by using an oscilloscope for the various case studies with brand A are illustrated in Figure 5. It can be observed that the current waveform has been heavily distorted from a sinusoidal wave due to switching the device in the LED driver; this is also aligned with %THDi, which is measured from a power quality meter as presented in Table 3. In addition, when the number of LED lamps increases, the current amplitude is increased and is further changed to a sinusoidal wave, whereas, when the number of LED drivers increases, the current waveform is slightly distorted and results in higher %THDi values, as presented in Table 3.
The waveform results of changing the LED driver brand from brand A to brand B are illustrated in Figure 8 for each case study. These waveforms in Figure 6 clearly show that the current waveform is similar to a sinusoidal wave with a spike when the LED driver is switched; thus, the %THDi value is lower than the case of the LED driver with brand A. By increasing the number of LED lamps from 1 lamp to 8, the obtained current waveform is considerably distorted with the sinusoidal part changing steadily into a straight line and the spike having a larger gap, resulting in higher %THDi compared to another driver case with brand B. As a result, the obtained %THDi results in Table 3 were also aligned with the current waveform obtained from oscilloscope, as illustrated in Figure 7 and Figure 8.
As previously mentioned, the LED driver can generate harmonics in a lighting system, so the current harmonics must be carefully considered. The obtained current harmonics in each order generated from various LED drivers are measured and analysed using a power quality meter. The results of all case studies are presented in terms of their harmonic current spectrum as illustrated in Figure 7, while the harmonic current spectrum in the case of eight LED lamps with eight drivers of each brand is compared in Figure 8.
By considering the LED driver with brand A, as illustrated in Figure 7a, it can be observed that the harmonic current spectrum for odd orders are higher than even orders, which would be treated as zero percent and can be neglected. The 3rd order shows the highest harmonics and the harmonics steadily decrease as the order increases. These values are higher than the standard value. In the case of using eight lamps and one driver, harmonics in order 7 and higher are lower than the other cases while the 3rd and the 5th orders have higher values. The LED of brand B is similar to the previous case; harmonics that have an effect are odd orders with a higher value than the standard. In the case of using eight lamps and one driver, the harmonics increase as the number of LED lamp increases. This indicates that LED lamps are implied to be a source of harmonics. For LED lamps and drivers of brand A mixed with brand B, the trend is also similar in this case. The current harmonics are lower than those of brand A but higher than those of brand B as a result of the different brand in use. In the case of four LED lamps and one driver, harmonics from order 3 to 9 are higher than the other cases. The generated current harmonics obtained from the power quality meter are in accordance with summarized data and current waveforms as discussed above. The generated current harmonic results of different brands are shown in Figure 8. Brand A has larger harmonic current compared to the other brand, and when mixing between two brands, the harmonic value becomes significantly lower.
3.2. The LED Lamp with Internal Driver
As noted above, the LED lamp with an internal driver (LED light bulb type) was investigated as a case study in this paper. The single line diagram of the experimental setup is illustrated in Figure 9a, while the experimental setup and instrument are illustrated in Figure 9b. The experimental setup consists of eight E27 base LED light bulbs with four switches controlling on/off. Likewise, the power quality meter and oscilloscope are also used to obtain electric parameters and waveforms. In addition, two brands of LED lamps with internal drivers are also used to evaluate the power quality and the quality of different commercial brands.
Figure 9. Experimental setup in the case of LED lamp light bulb type. (a) Single line diagram of experimental setup; (b) Overall experimental setup.
The experimental setup of the two major case studies was carried out in detail as follows: one case study using only brand C, and a second using only brand D. By considering the first major case study, the experimental setup with only brand C is also divided into four case studies: one LED lamp, two LED lamps, four LED lamps, and eight LED lamps. The same set up is used for the brand D case study.
After carrying out the various major case studies, the obtained results can be summarized as presented in Table 4, while the current waveforms and harmonic current spectrum are illustrated in Figure 10, Figure 11, Figure 12 and Figure 13. By considering the data from brand C in Table 4, one LED lamp is considered as the base case for brand C, and it can be observed that the real power is approximately 10.5 W at a current of 0.05 A, while the percentage of %THDi is 22.9%. By increasing the number of LED lamps, the current and all power significantly increases which is correlated with the number of lamps while the %THDi changes little. The total power of the base case (one LED lamp of brand C) is compared with the base case in Table 3; it can be noted that the real power of brand C exceeds that of the base case in Table 3. The real power of brand C is higher but the reactive power is less than that of base case in Table 3, so the apparent power is equal to that of the base case in Table 3. The current waveform of brand C is captured using the oscilloscope for various case studies as illustrated in Figure 10; it can be observed that the obtained current waveform has a slight distortion due to harmonics generated from internal LED drivers, but the distortion of current waveform is less than that of the LED lamp with external drivers for all case studies. By increasing the number of LED lamps, the current waveform tends to be distorted from a sinusoidal wave with the amount of LED lamps, but the current waveform is slightly distorted in comparison with the case study of the LED lamp with external drivers in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
Figure 10. Waveform of LED lamp for brand C. (a) Current waveform in the case of one lamp; (b) Current waveform in the case of two lamps; (c) Current waveform in the case of four lamps; (d) Current waveform in the case of eight lamps.
Figure 11. Waveform of LED lamp for brand D. (a) Current waveform in the case of one lamp; (b) Current waveform in the case of two lamps; (c) Current waveform in the case of four4 lamps; (d) Current waveform in the case of eight lamps.
Figure 12. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp with internal driver. (a) Harmonic spectrum of Brand C LED lamp (%f)
Figure 12. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp with internal driver. (b) Harmonic spectrum of Brand C LED lamp (mA/W)
Figure 12. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp with internal driver. (c) Harmonic spectrum of Brand D LED lamp (%f)
Figure 12. Harmonic spectrum among cases of each LED lamp with internal driver. (d) Harmonic spectrum of Brand D LED lamp (mA/W)
Figure 13. Comparison of harmonic spectrum for case of 8 LED lamps with internal driver among different brands of LED lamp. (a) Harmonic spectrum of LED lamp (%f)
Figure 13. Comparison of harmonic spectrum for case of 8 LED lamps with internal driver among different brands of LED lamp. (b) Harmonic spectrum of LED lamp (mA/W)
Table 4. Summary results from experimental setup for LED light bulb type.
Further analyzing brand D in Table 4, one LED lamp is considered as the base case for this brand. It can be observed that the real power is approximately 8.6 W at a current of 0.039 A, while the percentage of %THDi is 16.6%. Likewise, by increasing the number of LED lamps, the current and all power tends to increase, which is correlated with the number of lamps as in the brand C study, while the %THDi changes little. Figure 11 shows that the current waveform is slightly distorted from the sinusoidal wave with a spike in comparison to the LED lamp with external drivers in Figure 4 and Figure 5. A spike occurs in the waveform with an amplitude higher than that of brand C, so the current waveform is further distorted with the amplitude of the spike increase and correlated with the number of lamp.
When comparing the results of brand A, B, C and D as presented in Table 3 and Table 4, it is found that the LED light bulb type with internal driver (brands C and D) consumes more real power than the LED lamp with external driver (brands A and B) in the same configuration, but they consume less reactive power with similar apparent power. That is why the power factor of brands C and D is higher than that of brands A and B, resulting in less %THDi. This shows that brands C and D are more appropriate for use in building lighting systems when the focusing is on harmonics or power quality. The overall trend is fairly the same when the number of LED lamps or drivers increases.
The generated current harmonics in each order from LED light bulb type measured by a power quality meter are shown in Figure 12a–c. In the case of brand C LED light bulbs, as shown in Figure 12a, only an odd harmonic order is generated and with highest value in the 3rd order. The number of lamps does not have any effect on current harmonics, and as the number of lamps increases, the current harmonics remain unchanged, except in the case of eight lamps. The current harmonics are increased in every order except for the 5th order, which is lower than the previous case. In the case of brand D LED light bulbs, as shown in Figure 12b, only odd order current harmonics are clearly noticeable. The current harmonics in the 3rd order are the highest when using one lamp, while the 5th order using two and four lamps cause the highest current harmonics of these orders and from order 7 and higher, the eight lamp-setup has the highest current harmonic value. Increasing the number of lamps does not affect current harmonics. The figure indicates that current harmonics are also aligned with current waveform, as discussed above.
Figure 13 shows a comparison of current harmonics in each order among different brands in the case of using 8 LED lamps. It can be seen that brand C has the highest harmonics in every order compared to brand D and mixing case except for the harmonics of the order 5. When mixing between two brands, some harmonic orders cancel each other out, resulting in reducing current harmonics in some orders such as order 7 and 15. In the 5th order, however, current harmonics from two brands superimpose each other causing higher current harmonics than in the case of only brand C or brand D.
For LED light bulb type, power consumption is higher than LED lamps with external drivers. The power factor is higher, and its value is close to 1. This type of LED light bulb does not have an effect on %THDv. For %THDi, it is significantly lower than LED lamps with external drivers. For brand C LED light bulbs, when increasing the number of lamps, current is steadily distorted as shown in Table 4 that the %THDi value is increased when the number of lamps increases. For LEDs of brand D, the power factor is higher compared to brand A with low power consumption. After performing several case studies, the overall results can be summarized as follows:
In terms of energy consumption or real power consumed, LED light bulbs (brands C and D) consume more power than LED lamps with external driver (brands A and B). Bulbs consume less reactive power which is good and this leads to a high power factor and low %THDi.
For both types of LED lamps, when increasing the number of lamps or drivers, the %THDv remains unchanged. This is because the source voltage is not affected by the harmonic current generated by the LED’s driver.
The total harmonic distortion of current in the case of brands C and D is obviously less than that of brands A and B. This is because when considering the current waveform, it is distorted less than the sinusoidal wave, meaning that it contains less harmonic current. It reveals that the LED light bulb type is more appropriate than the LED lamp with external drivers in terms of harmonic mitigation and quality of waveform.
4. Reduction of Harmonics Using Passive Low-Pass Filter
As discussed in the previous section, according to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61000-3-2:2018 and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) standard, the maximum harmonic for LED lamp equipment has been classified as follows: Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D. Each class addresses specific electric equipment [14]. Lighting equipment having a rated power greater than 25 W is classified in Class C and lighting equipment having a rated power between 5 W and 25 W are applied to class D harmonic current permitted. The maximum harmonic current permitted for class C and class D equipment has been summarized in Table 1.
Low pass filter circuits are designed and built to reduce harmonics generated from LED lamps, as depicted in Figure 14. The filter consists of one series toroidal inductor of 76.18 mH and five capacitors of 11 μF connected in parallel into a circuit. The designed circuit aims to cut off frequencies of approximately 174 Hz. The proposed filter circuit has been tested with LED lamps of both the external driver and light bulb type.
Figure 14. Low pass filter circuit.
A comparison result of LED lamp with two driver types with IEC 61000-3-2:2018 standard class C and D has been done in case of with and without installed filter. In the case of LED lamps with external drivers, brand A’s LED lamp is focused on due to the highest current harmonics. A comparison between the IEC 61000-3-2 standard value and the harmonic current generated from LED external driver type with and without a filter circuit is shown in Figure 15a. The figure indicates that the LED lamp with external drivers has a larger current harmonic than the standard permitted value. The proposed filter circuit can reduce the current harmonic significantly; however, the current harmonic value is still higher than the standard.
Figure 15. Comparison of harmonic magnitude for lighting system with and without filter including IEC standard. (a) LED lamp with external driver including Class C IEC standard
Figure 15. Comparison of harmonic magnitude for lighting system with and without filter including IEC standard. (b) LED lamp with external driver including Class D IEC standard
The comparison for eternal driver LED lamp with standard class D is shown in Figure 15b. From the figure, it can be seen that harmonic current permitted is a bit higher compared to class C. However, without low pass filter circuit LED generated harmonic current higher than permitted value. After adding the low pass filter circuit, current harmonic in every order has been significantly reduced but these values are still higher than standard permitted value.
In the case of LED light bulb type, the brand C LED lamp connected with a low pass filter circuit has been studied. Figure 15b shows the comparison between IEC 61000-3-2 standard values with the harmonic current generated from LED light bulbs with and without a filter circuit. According to the results and figure, brand C LED light bulbs have an odd harmonic value after the 5th order that is higher than the standard permitted value. After inserting the low pass filter circuit, it can be seen that the current harmonics in every order decrease considerably. The results from the power quality meter indicate that the designed filter circuit can reduce the harmonics to within the standard value.
The comparison for external driver LED lamp with standard class D is shown in Figure 16b. From the figure, it can be seen that without low pass filter circuit LED generated harmonic current higher than permitted value. However, only harmonic current in 3rd and 5th order is within standard value. After inserting the low pass filter circuit, current harmonic in every order has been reduced significantly. In addition, harmonic current in all order is within standard permitted value.
Figure 16. Comparison of harmonic magnitude for lighting system with and without filter including IEC standard. (a) LED lamp with internal driver including Class C IEC standard
Figure 16. Comparison of harmonic magnitude for lighting system with and without filter including IEC standard. (b) LED lamp with internal driver including Class D IEC standard
5. Conclusions
The efficient use of lighting in the buildings is one way to support energy conservation, and the implementation of new technology and standards to reduce energy consumption have become an interesting topic for engineers and researchers. Concerning indoor lighting, the use of LED lamps in buildings is rapidly increasing owing to their low energy consumption and long life cycle. However, studies on their harmonic current emissions have rarely been carried out. This technical problem could be severe for nearby sensitive electrical equipment installed in the considered system or building. This paper presented an energy efficiency analysis in terms of energy consumption, harmonics and power quality for LED lamps equipped in a building lighting system. The experimental setup was built to evaluate the energy consumption and power quality issues and to measure the related electrical parameters. Two types of LED lamps commercially available on the market in Thailand market were used in the experiments: LED lamps with external drivers and LED light bulbs with internal driver.
The results obtained from the power quality meter and oscilloscope indicated that LEDs with external drivers caused severe harmonic distortion and power quality because the external driver can drive multiple lamps per driver. LED lamps with brand A external drivers exhibit higher harmonic values compared to brand B. When mixing between two brands, current harmonics are reduced but are still higher than for brand B. When comparing this value with the IEC 61000-3-2:2018 standard, the harmonic value is higher than the standard permitted value. In the case of LED light bulbs, only some current harmonic orders are higher than the standard. For this type of LED lamp, when mixing between two brands, current harmonics in some orders were increased. To reduce the harmonics and prevent them from surpassing the standard, the low pass filter circuit was designed and built. This circuit was tested in the experimental test bench using the LED lamp brand that generated the highest current harmonics. The comparison has been done with both class C and D harmonic permitted value. After adding the filter in the system, it can be seen that LED lamps with external drivers can reduce the harmonic value significantly even though it is still higher than the permitted value. LED light bulbs with the filter circuit reduced the harmonic value to be below the standard value. The obtained result can be applied to the large-scale installation of LED lamps in building lighting systems due to power quality issues. Harmonics from this type of luminaire combined with other appliances can cause damage or malfunction to other sensitive electrical equipment in the building. The countermeasure must be implemented to keep harmonic values within the standard in order to guarantee high power factor, leading to less energy consumption. The passive filtering circuit is one method that can reduce current harmonics and improve power quality and energy efficiency of the building lighting system.
Author Contributions: N.P., C.J., A.N. Conceptualization, C.J. and A.N.; Methodology, C.J.; Validation, N.P. and A.N.; Formal Analysis, N.P.; Investigation, N.P.; Resources, A.N.; Data Curation, N.P.; Writing-Original Draft Preparation, C.J. and A.N.; Writing-Review & Editing, C.J. and N.P.; Visualization, A.N.; Supervision, A.N.; Project Administration, A.N.; Funding Acquisition, A.N.
Funding: The work presented in this paper is part of a research project (No. 2558A11802136) sponsored by the King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Research Fund. The author would like to thank them for the financial support.
Acknowledgments: The work presented in this paper is part of a research project sponsored (No. 2558A11802136) by the National Research Council of Thailand and the King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Research Fund. The authors would like to thank them for their financial support.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Published by Shantha Gamini Jayasinghe1,*, Lasantha Meegahapola2, Nuwantha Fernando2, Zheming Jin3 and Josep M. Guerrero3
1Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, Launceston 7250, Australia, 2School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne 3001, Australia; lasantha.meegahapola@rmit.edu.au (L.M.); nuwantha.fernando@rmit.edu.au (N.F.) 3Institute of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg 9220, Denmark; zhe@et.aau.dk (Z.J.);joz@et.aau.dk (J.M.G.) *Correspondence: shanthaj@utas.edu.au; Tel.: +61-363-249-752
Abstract: Ship microgrids have recently received increased attention, mainly due to the extensive use of power electronically interfaced loads and sources. Characteristics of these microgrids are similar to islanded terrestrial microgrids, except the presence of highly dynamic large loads, such as propulsion loads. The presence of such loads and sources with power-electronic converter interfaces lead to severe power quality issues in ship microgrids. Generally, these issues can be classified as voltage variations, frequency variations and waveform distortions which are commonly referred to as harmonic distortions. Amongst the solutions identified, energy storage is considered to be the most promising technology for mitigating voltage and/or frequency deviations. Passive filtering is the commonly used technology for reducing harmonic distortions, which requires bulky capacitors and inductors. Active filtering is emerging as an alternative, which could be realised even within the same interfacing converter of the energy storage system. The aim of this paper is to investigate recent developments in these areas and provide readers with a critical review on power quality issues, energy storage technologies and strategies that could be used to improve the power quality in ship microgrids. Moreover, a brief introduction to ship power system architectures is also presented in the paper.
Keywords: energy storage; frequency variations; harmonics; power quality; ship microgrids; voltage variations
1. Introduction
Ship power systems have significantly evolved over the last century with complex network architectures and power electronically interfaced multifarious high power loads and sources. With these developments, modern ship electrical power systems have become more or less similar to terrestrial microgrids [1]. The common characteristics between the two types of microgrids include islanded operation, increased use of power electronic converters and network architectures. Therefore, technologies developed for islanded microgrids can be extended for ship microgrids as well. Nevertheless, due to the presence of large dynamic loads and various operating scenarios, power management and control of ship microgrids have become more complex compared to terrestrial microgrids [2].
Large dynamic loads in ship microgrids demand significant changes in the supply within a short time which lead to large deviations in the voltage and/or frequency. The common approaches of mitigating these deviations are the over design and maintaining a spinning reserve. These methods introduce additional weight, increase the cost and require more space. Energy storage systems (ESSs) have been identified as a promising alternative that can be used to handle transients in an efficient and effective manner in ship microgrids compared to the over design and having a spinning reserve. The current practice in the maritime industry is to use ESSs as the emergency power supply. However, they could also be designed to smoothen transients and thereby reduce voltage and/or frequency deviations in ship microgrids. Moreover, ESSs can be used for shaving the peak-load, energy recovery during regeneration and providing ancillary services to the main generator [1–4].
Power electronic converter systems found in propulsion motor drives, pumps, fans and generating sources introduce waveform distortions, mainly in the form of harmonics. Distortions created by high power converters with passive front-end interface or low frequency devices are more significant compared to low power converters. As majority of the power converters in ship microgrids are of these types, the effect of waveform distortions is much more severe compared to that of the terrestrial microgrids. The traditional approach taken to mitigate these harmonic distortions in ship power systems is the use of passive filters, which require bulky inductors and capacitors. Nowadays, the trend is to use active filters which are based on power electronic converters. Modern ESSs are equipped with bi-directional power electronic converter systems, hence they can control both active and reactive power instantaneously. Therefore, there is a possibility of using those interfacing converters as active filter as well to reduce waveform distortions.
The aim of this paper is to critically review the capabilities and characteristics of the energy storage technologies in terms of power quality improvement, and recent developments in power quality improvement strategies in ship microgrids. The rest of the paper is organised as follows: Section 2 presents an overview of ship power system architectures, loads and sources. A comprehensive analysis on power quality issues in ship power systems and associated standards are presented in Section 3. The potential use of energy storage systems as a solution to the identified power quality issues are discussed in Section 4. Finally, conclusions drawn from the study and authors opinions on future developments in the use of energy storage as a solution to power quality issues are presented in Section 5.
2. Ship Power System Architectures, Loads and Sources
2.1. Ship Power System Architectures
2.1.1. Traditional Ship Power System Architectures
Traditional ac ship power systems are based on the radial power distribution architecture and having separate generators for propulsion and service loads. The SS Canberra, ocean liner, is a good example for this architecture. Single line diagrams of her power systems are shown in Figure 1. The propulsion system is powered by two steam-turbine-coupled 32.2 MW generators, while the service loads are supplied by four steam-turbine-coupled 1.5 MW generators. This approach helps prevent transients and oscillations in the propulsion power system propagating into the service power system. However, in this system, the excess capacity of the propulsion power system at low speed or when the ship is not moving is not usable. Therefore, the utilization of available resources is very low in this approach and it results in low efficiency in the overall system [5–8]. In addition, with the growth of the power demand in service loads in modern ships maintaining two large power systems is not efficient and economical.
Recent developments in power electronics have enabled more controllability in ac propulsion systems, and thus the use of a common power system for both propulsion and service loads have become possible [1–4]. This architecture is known as integrated power system (IPS). A simplified representation of an IPS architecture with radial power distribution is given in Figure 2. The IPS architecture is considered to be first used in the Queen Elizabeth II(QEII). The QEII ocean liner consisted of steam-turbine-driven alternators which were fitted with diesel generator sets at a later stage [9].The distribution system of QEII operated at 10 kV. Transformers were used to step down this voltage to a low voltage to accommodate service loads. This IPS architecture continued with modifications such as separate high voltage and low voltage busses for port-side and starboard-side. As the IPS architecture allows more flexibility in ship design, reduction in number of prime movers and increase in the overall efficiency, it has become the popular choice, especially in cruise ships, ferries and large vessels [1,9].
Figure 1. Traditional segregated ship power system with a propulsion power system and a service power system (ST—Steam Turbine, G—Generator, M—Motor and L—Load).
Figure 2. Radial power distribution for integrated propulsion system (IPS) architecture ( T – Transformer).
As the propulsion loads and service loads are connected to the the same power system, power quality issues have become more significant with the IPS architecture. Some of these issues are similar to those present in terrestrial microgrids as well, and thus technologies used to address issues in terrestrial microgrids can be adopted in ship microgrids as well. Those issues and potential solutions are discussed in Section 3.
2.1.2. Modern Power System Architectures
While the radial power distribution has been widely adopted in ship power systems, the need for a more complex power systems that can offer higher survivability, reliability and efficiency have recently gained priority. The zonal electrical distribution (ZED) is emerging as one of the most suitable candidate power system architecture to achieve these objectives [10,11]. Figure 3a,b show a simplified diagram of an ac ZED system proposed in [10] and a dc ZED system considered by the Electric Ship Research and Development Consortium (ESRDC) [2,12], respectively. In contrast with radial power systems, zonal power systems achieve high survivability by separating the distribution system into zones and maintaining independent power sources in each zone [10–12]. In the event of a fault, it can be isolated by opening appropriate switches and thereby potential blackouts can be avoided. For example, a fault in Zone-1 can be isolated by opening the two supply switches. A fault in any point in the distribution cable system itself can also be isolated by opening any of the adjacent circuit breakers. If the fault is in a zonal load, it can be isolated by opening the load terminal breaker. Under such conditions, power distribution to any of the other loads can be continued via redundant paths with minimal impact on the power disruption to the other loads.
ZED systems require comprehensive understanding of load profiles and complex communication and coordination strategies [9–12]. Moreover, advanced fault detection, identification and isolation algorithms are essential for the successful implementation of ZED systems in ship microgrids. Communication technologies such as controller area network (CAN), local area network (LAN) based systems [11], protection algorithms and monitoring systems, e.g., multi-functional monitoring (MFM)systems and complex decision making algorithms, such as graph theory based techniques [11] area few examples that show the direction of technology development in ZED based ship power systems.
Figure 3. (a) AC zonal electrical distribution system (ac-ZEDS); (b) dc zonal electrical distribution system (dc-ZEDS) (GT—gas turbine, G—generator, M—Motor and L—load).
2.1.3. Comparison of ac and dc Power Systems and Impact on Power Quality
Traditional ship power systems are based on low voltage ac (LVAC) power distribution. Recently, medium voltage ac (MVAC) distribution systems ranging from 3.3 to 13.8 kV have become popular, especially in large ships [13–15]. These systems operate at a fixed frequency and the propulsion motors are directly connected to the fixed frequency systems resulting in fixed-speed operation of the motors. In this fixed-speed operation, pitch angle control is used to vary the propulsion power, which is inefficient at low load conditions [13]. With technology development, it has been possible to use variable-speed drives to control the speed of the propulsion motor with a fixed pitch propeller. In addition to the propulsion drives, other loads have also experienced enhanced performance with the application of the power electronic technology. As a result, recent developments in maritime power systems have seen certain advantages in the use of variable-speed drives (VSD). Since the majority of VSDs use the ac-dc-ac power conversion architecture, a dc distribution can eliminate the front-end ac-dc rectifier and thereby reduce poser losses, cost, weight and volume of the converter system.
The use of ac power has advantages such as the possibility of using brushless ac machines for loads without the need of control electronics and ease of protection during faults due to zero voltage arc extinguishment. However, the use of ac power also leads to the need of bulky transformers for step-up or step-down of voltages and relatively lower efficiency due to reactive power transfer. With modern power electronic loads, the number of power conversion steps may also increase significantly and hence pose a disadvantage. AC power systems require stringent fixed frequency and hence the prime movers have to run at the given speed under varying loads which may not yield optimum operation all the time. Furthermore, ac power systems also require multiple generator synchronization and hence encounter difficulties in immediate re-engagement of isolated systems in contrast with dc power system in a ZED based architecture. Such limitations have hindered the enhancement of survivability of the power system and power quality enhancement under faulty conditions. As a result, the dc power systems have been widely researched as an alternative to ac power systems.
The use of dc power for maritime power systems involves medium voltage dc (MVDC) having voltages from 1 kV up to 35 kV [13–16]. DC power systems enable weight savings with the use of different types of electrical machines for power generation e.g., high-speed machines with low weight, volume and high power density and elimination of low frequency transformers [17,18]. In addition, enhanced control of power flow, bi-directional power flow, ease of integration of energy storage, ease of engagement and disengagement of different parts of the system and absence of synchronization are some of the other advantages of having dc distribution in ships [13–17]. Moreover, the absence of harmonic issues is another advantage of dc systems over ac systems. Nevertheless, dc ship power systems and associated technologies are still at the development stage, and thus can be considered as an expanding area of research in the field of transportation electrification.
2.2. Loads in Maritime Power Systems and Their Impact on Power Quality
Typical shipboard electrical loads include propulsion loads, pumps and compressors for heating ventilation and air conditioning, control and communication systems in the bridge and hotel loads. Other types of loads may vary depending of the functionality of the vessel. For example, in aircraft carriers [16], additional loads may include lifting systems for aircrafts. These different loads also demand power from the ship microgrid. Generally, their dynamics and characteristics should be taken into consideration at the power system design stage. In a radial power system, the aggregated load is considered for determination of design parameter of the system. For example, the required total capacity will consider load factors for determination of switchgear and cables. The power quality can also be analysed by consideration of worst-case scenarios of operation. However, in the case of using ZEDs, the utilization of different components of the system is complicated [7]. The use of stochastic methods is a solution proposed in literature to evaluate the power system operation under a range of operating conditions and estimate corresponding load profiles [1]. Such techniques can also be extended for the analysis of power quality to guarantee high quality power in all operating scenarios.
The placement of the loads on a power system impacts the power system operation and power quality. This is especially true for loads that demand high power such as the propulsion loads or pulsed power loads in naval applications. The time constants of the loads characterize the rapidness of power demand. Table 1 outlines typical time constants of common loads in ship power systems [5,19].Load management in a complex ship microgrid having components with such a wide range of time constants is a challenging task. Strategies based on time constant are becoming popular as promising load management methods for ship microgrids [20].
Table 1. Time constants of different components of a marine electric power system [5,19].
The simplified representation of an IPS shown in Figure 2 can be used as an example system to discuss further on the time constants of different components and their implications. In this system, four steam-turbine-driven generators are used as the sources. The starboard and port propulsion motors are fed through power electronic converter systems. Depending on the required power level, propulsion motor could be chosen as either an induction motor (up to 5 MW) or a synchronous motor (above 5 MW) [13]. Permanent magnet (PM) motors are also increasingly being used in electric ship applications [15]. Irrespective of the type of the motor, its dynamics are affected by the rotor time constant. A typical fixed-pitch, variable speed, propulsion drive system in an ac ship includes a back-to-back converter structure for rectification of the ac power to dc and then inversion to produce variable voltage and variable frequency output to the motors. The rectifier stage is not required in dc ships and thus only the inverter stages are used to control the propulsion motors. The typical time constants of the propulsion drive system based on industrial drives up to 20 MW is identified in [17]. The propeller run-up time depends on the size and inertia of the propulsion system and can be found to be within the range of 1–60 s. Following propeller run-up, the ship run-up time is from60 to 500 s [17]. While these are comparatively longer time transients, the short-term transient that impact the power system include the dynamics of the machine and the pulse width modulation (PWM)drive. The PWM switching transients in the range of 100 ns to 1μs are filtered within the power electronic converter itself. However, the dynamics of electrical machines are in the range of 1ms to 1s and thus they will significantly influence the ship power quality depending on the ability to supply rapid changes in power demand.
In electric ship technologies, the propulsion load is accommodated via the electrical power system. As a result, the propulsion system dynamics significantly impact the ship microgrid and its power quality. The priorities to deliver power to each of these loads differ depending on their functionality. For example, the propulsion load demand may have high priority due to manoeuvring requirements as the inability to achieve the rapid response may result in momentary loss of ship control. However, the simultaneous delivery of a pulsed power load requires rapid delivery of power with a low time constant, and momentary shift of power for the pulsed power load will not significantly impact the high time constant loads, such as propulsion motors. Therefore, control strategies for coordinated control of different loads with differentiation of their response is found to be an essential feature in modern marine power systems, especially those that are equipped with high energy detection systems and pulsed power weapons.
The pulsed loads in ships are generally defense equipment such as electromagnetic weapons and high energy detection systems [21,22]. The authors of [22] have examined the impact of pulse loads on the power system. In this study, pulse loads of 30 MW × 0.1s and 50 MW ×1s are simulated and it is shown that the system performance and transient conditions under pulsed power loads heavily depend on the system control parameters, power system topology and the location of the pulsed power load. A generic pulsed power load is studied in [21,22] and is modelled as a current sink. The time constants are in the order of 100μs. (e.g., 76.9μs used in the system studied in [21]).
2.3. Power Sources in Ship Power Systems
The power sources applied in electric ships vary with size and application and the power levels may vary from 60 kW [18] to 120 MW range. Moreover, the use of energy storage is shown to reduce the generator capacity requirement. In [23], the authors investigate a full electric ship in simulation capable of 1.16 MW power output out of which 500 kW is generated by gas turbine (GT) generators and the remaining power is managed with the use of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and ESSs. On the other extreme, the authors of [16] investigate shipboard power systems for an aircraft carrier “capital ship” with generation capacity of 120 MW. In contrast, the power sources include diesel generator and gas turbine engines [24,25]. Medium power applications such as electric ferry ships may involve the power generation capacities in the order of 10 MW, e.g., 12 MVA system in [26]. Such examples demonstrate that the maritime power requirements significantly vary depending on the functionality of the ship.
Due to the high-power demands in naval and commercial shipping, nuclear power for marine power has been of interest since mid-20th century and has been applied for propulsion in the past[27,28]. However, nuclear powered IPSs have not appeared to have achieved popularity to date. In contrast, diesel electric and gas turbine electric systems have been widely adopted for power generation in ships. Integration of renewable energy sources has also been investigated in the past. For example, in [29,30] approximately 1% of power is generated by PV in the electric ship. In order to increase the penetration of renewable energy sources in marine power systems and also to accommodate the rapid varying loads, ESS based solutions found to be the key enabling technology. The use of ESS in ship microgrids is discussed in detail in Section 4.
3. Power Quality Issues and Regulations Applicable to Ship Microgrids
According to IEC standard 61000-4-30 power quality is defined as “characteristic of the electricity at a given point on an electrical system, evaluated against a set of reference technical parameters” [31], and this definition could be equally applicable for ship power systems. The main power quality issues in ship microgrids are listed in Table 2. According to Table 2, majority of the power quality issues can be attributed to the changes in voltage waveforms which are due to cyclic or non-cyclic load transients in the ship microgrid. In addition, frequency variations and harmonics are also becoming important power quality issues due to the increasing trend in deploying power electronically interfaced loads and generation sources in ship microgrids. It must be noted that both the frequency variations and the harmonic issues are present only in ac microgrids; however, voltage variations present in both ac and dc microgrids. With the growing more-electric trend, these power quality issues in ships are becoming an important area that requires standardization. In response to this need, ship classification societies have taken initiatives to define regulations for power quality in order to minimize the associated risk for ships, crew, cargo and seas. Table 3 shows the regulations imposed by classification societies for voltage and frequency variations for ac ship distribution systems [3].Electrical equipment on-board supplied from the main or emergency systems should be able to operate satisfactorily under these variations in voltage and frequency. The values in Table 3 are unified and unchanged for many years.
Table 2. Classification of Power Quality Issues in Ship Power System/Microgrid.
Table 3. Acceptable ranges of voltage and frequency variations in ac distribution systems.
Until recently, waveform distortion has not been taken seriously compared to voltage and frequency variations which changed after accident on-board of Queen Mary II. QMII is an all-electric cruise vessel with four diesel engines (4×16.8 MW) and two gas turbines (2×25 MW). The propulsion system consists of four pods each rated at 21.5 MW. In addition, there are three thrusters, 3.2 MW each, which are used to support manoeuvring of the ship. A thyristor based load commutated inverter(LCI) system is used to drive the high-power motors. Harmonics generated by these converters are suppressed by two passive harmonic filters (HFs) [5]. The accident on-board QMII occurred in September 2010, caused by the catastrophic failure of an aged capacitor and explosion in the aft harmonic filter room. According to the report of Marine Accident Investigation Branch, after several seconds the vessel blacked. It was concluded that “most likely that the disruption within the aft HF at the time of the accident caused general instability in the electrical network which could not be contained and led to the generators shutting down” [6]. As a result of accident, the importance of regulations on waveform distortion was highlighted and thus classification societies imposed an 8% limit for the total voltage harmonic distortion (THDV) in ship electrical distribution systems. Some classification societies, for instance DNV GL [7] or ABS [3], added additional requirements related to single harmonic content in the voltage waveform. According to these requirements, no single order voltage harmonic shall exceed 5%.
In addition to the standards and rules for civil or commercial ships, there are rules concerning navy vessels as well. For example, STANAG 1008 applies for the electrical power plants in NATO naval vessels. According to the STANAG 1008 the THDV factor should be less than 5% (up to voltage harmonic of 40th order) and no single order voltage harmonic shall exceed 3%. Moreover, the effect of operation of user equipment and resulting minimum harmonic distortion in the electrical power system is also taken into consideration in STANAG 1008. If rectifiers or power electronic converters are connected to the shipboard power system, power of the largest single distorting load Pdistort and the sum of the power of all loads ∑Pdistort which distort the current waveform should be determined and compared with the short circuit power of the generation capacity approximated as:
Ssc = 100 × Sn/x′′d% (1)
where Ssc represents the equivalent short circuit power of the supply system in kVA, Sn is the nominal apparent power of the feeding generators in kVA. x′′d% is the equivalent sub-transient reactance of the feeding generators as a percentage. The subsequent actions depend on results of the comparison which is shown in Table 4. If harmonics would be above permitted values, then measures should betaken to reduce the harmonics (multi-pulse rectifiers, filters, etc.).
Table 4. The STANAG 1008 requirements regarding maximum power of distorting loads, which does not require further detailed analysis.
4. Energy Storage Solution for Power Quality Improvement
4.1. Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) for Ship Microgrids
Different energy storage technologies are presently integrated into ship microgrids to manage the energy balance and provide auxiliary services to the ship power system. These energy storage technologies could be mainly categorised into four types: electrochemical devices (e.g., batteries, fuel cells), electrostatic devices (e.g., supercapacitors), electro-mechanical devices (e.g., flywheels), and electromagnetic devices (e.g., superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) systems). The energy density and power density are the two key features that could be used to characterise an energy storage system. The energy density is defined as the energy stored per-unit weight, hence energy density signifies the relative size of the storage system. The power density is defined as the amount of power that could be obtained for a per-unit weight. Figure 4 illustrates the power and energy density characteristics of different energy storage technologies suitable for ship microgrids.
Figure 4. Power Density vs. Energy Density for Different Storage Technologies.
According to Figure 4, each technology has unique characteristics in terms of the power density and energy density and hence the technology selection should be carefully conducted considering the key performance requirement of the microgrid. Table 5 lists the advantages and challenges associated with each energy storage technology.
Table 5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Storage Technologies.
In addition to the energy storage technologies listed in Table 5, there are other storage technologies used in terrestrial microgrids such as compressed-air energy storage (CAES) systems and hydrogen generation and storage. In ships CAES systems are mainly used for powering hydraulic systems and engine start-up, but rarely used for storing electrical energy. This is mainly due to the large volume required. Fuel cells are currently being used as power generation sources in ship microgrids. Nevertheless, hydrogen generation through electrolysis as a way of energy storage and subsequent use in fuel cells has not drawn much attention and thus not explicitly discussed in this paper.
4.1.1. Battery Energy Storage Systems
Battery energy storage is the most commonly used energy storage technology in ship microgrids. The lead-acid, Li-ion, NiCad and NiMH are the most commonly used battery types in battery energy storage systems. However, the lead-acid batteries are rarely being used in energy storage system applications mainly due to their low energy density and low power density. Similarly, NiCad batteries also have low energy density and low power density and thus rarely being used in battery energy storage systems [34].
The most commonly used battery technology is the Li-Ion technology, which has high power density and high energy density in comparison to the other battery technologies available in the market. The Li-Ion batteries are maintenance free and also have the highest lifetime (at 80% depth-of-discharge(DoD)) over other battery types available in the market [37]. The battery technology continues to evolve with the help of nanotechnology, hence more power and energy dense batteries are likely to be manufactured in the future [35]. It must be noted that much higher current could be drawn beyond the rated current, however, it will degrade the battery performance and ultimately the life span. Therefore, ESSs based on battery systems are not suitable for providing rapid power response to mitigate the adverse effects from loads with high ramp rates.
4.1.2. Supercapacitors
Supercapacitors (also known as ultracapacitor) have the capability to release or absorb a large amount of power instantaneously than battery energy storage systems. In supercapacitors energy is stored in an electrostatic field and hence the charging and discharging cycles can be repeated without any limit and also it could be charged within a very short time span as oppose to batteries. The supercapacitor structure is different to a conventional capacitor due to its electrostatic double-layer and thinner carbon electrodes. These properties increase the capacitance of supercapacitor compared to conventional capacitor [38]. Even though Supercapacitors are widely used in automotive applications, they are not being heavily deployed in ship microgrids mainly due to relatively high cost and the low energy density. Supercapacitors are commonly used together with batteries in hybrid ESSs, which will be discussed in Section 4.1.5.
4.1.3. Flywheels
n fly-wheel ESSs the energy is stored as kinetic energy within its rotating mass and typically it has high power density than any other energy storage technology used at present. The flywheel is typically coupled with a generator/motor configuration to store and extract energy from the flywheel. At the charging stage, the flywheel is accelerated to store energy as the kinetic energy (usually rotated at 10,000–100,000 rpm) [39], while at the discharging phase it is decelerated to extract the kinetic energy and subsequently converted to the electrical energy. Typically, a power electronic frequency converter is used for advanced flywheel based ESSs to integrate with the microgrid, and it will enable flywheel to operate at a wide speed range. Flywheel-based ESSs can respond rapidly, and its respond time is typically 4–5ms. Hence, they can be used for mitigating power quality issues emanating from large pulse loads in ships. The main disadvantage being the low energy density, flywheel based ESSs cannot be used for delivering power quality and ancillary services for longer durations.
4.1.4. Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) Systems
n SMESs energy is stored in a magnetic field created by the superconducting coil. The super conducting coil is maintained below the critical superconducting temperature, by using an external cooling pump. This will make the resistance of the superconducting coil to zero, hence once the potential difference is removed, the current in the superconducting coil keep circulating in the coil without any losses. As the superconducting coil carries the dc current, it also requires a power electronic interface to integrate with the ac network of the ship. Therefore, SMESs are also a flexible energy storage option for mitigating power quality issues in ship microgrids. The SMESs are also capable of delivering power rapidly, hence can be used for mitigating power quality issues due to high pulsed loads. The SMESs are becoming very popular as an energy storage option for naval ships, hence it is vital to further investigate their usage in the context of mitigating power quality issues in ship microgrids.
4.1.5. Hybrid Energy Storage Systems
The hybrid energy storage systems are also proposed and developed in recent years to exploit the advantages of multiple energy storage technologies to fulfil various needs of microgrids [40–42].The most commonly proposed hybrid ESS uses batteries and supercapacitors, hence this ESS has the benefits from high energy density of batteries and high power density of supercapacitors [40,41].Therefore, supercapacitor will provide a transient power response for a short duration to mitigate the transient power quality issues, while the battery energy storage system will provide power quality support long durations.
In comparison to any other single ESS, the hybrid ESS requires complex control architectures [43], since different energy storage technologies have different characteristics, hence they should be optimally controlled to extract the maximum benefit from both energy systems. For example, energy storage system with high power density should be used to compensate for the transient compensation while energy-intensive component should be used for compensating low-frequency component. Various power architectures have also been proposed for hybrid ESSs and these architectures are discussed in [40].
4.2. Managing Power Quality Issues
In terrestrial microgrids, most of the generation sources are based on inverter-interfaced generation sources, and ESSs are also interfaced through power electronic converter systems. Therefore, the output current could be controlled instantaneously to mitigate power quality issues in microgrids. Nevertheless, the rapid response capability of inverter systems is limited by the characteristics of the energy storage devices. As discussed earlier, high power density and rapid response are vital characteristics of ESSs to provide rapid energy needs dictated by the inverter. Therefore, based on nature of the power quality disturbance, appropriate ESS should be selected for the inverter system. This section delineates various strategies used in terrestrial microgrids to mitigate power quality issues.
4.2.1. Managing Voltage Sags/Dips
The voltage sags are closely related to the low-voltage ride -through (FRT) studies in microgrids; hence relevant literature reports strategies that can be used to mitigate voltage sags [44–48], as well as LVRT strategies for microgrids [49–51]. Therefore, both voltage sag mitigation strategies and LVRT strategies are discussed here. Reactive power control is the most commonly used strategies are discussed here.
Reactive power control is the most commonly used strategy for mitigating voltage sags in microgrids, and will also allow microgrid to ride-through faults [46]. This strategy is commonly known as Q/V droop control. Reactive power control/injection could be achieved either using existing power electronics based sources or additional dynamic reactive power devices, such as static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs) [44,51]. STATCOM is a system that can combine both active and reactive power capabilities into a single converter to achieve both frequency and voltage regulation and thus becoming popular in modern power systems. In Q/V droop control strategy, the error between actual and reference voltage is calculated (see Figure 5) and then processed through a droop constant (Kv_droop) to generate the reactive power reference (Qref), and based on the voltage error, the STATCOM will inject reactive power to the microgrid to compensate the voltage sag [51].
Figure 5. Q/V droop control strategy.
A unified power quality conditioner proposed in [47] also adopted a similar control strategy for mitigating voltage sags in microgrids. Thus, a similar reactive power control strategy could be also adopted for power electronic interfaced ESSs in microgrids [45]. However, the ESS should be able to release large transient energy for mitigating large voltage sags in the microgrid. Thus, it is essential to select the appropriate energy storage technology (i.e., energy storage technology with high power density) if the ESS is dictated to mitigate voltage sags in the microgrid network. For example, in [50],a supercapacitor-based ESS is proposed for improving FRT capability of the microgrid.
However, effectiveness of the reactive power control strategy for voltage sag mitigation depends on the X/R ratio of the network, since the network voltage becomes less sensitive to reactive power when the network is predominantly resistive. Typically, if the network voltage is less than 11 kV, the X/R ratio becomes less than unity and hence active power becomes more dominant over reactive power when controlling the network voltage. Therefore, it is vital to assess the network impedance characteristics before implementing voltage sag mitigation through power electronic interfaced ESSs.
As delineated in [50], the voltage sags could be symmetrical or asymmetrical, therefore under asymmetrical voltage sags both positive and negative sequence voltage should be compensated in order mitigate the voltage sag and improve the LVRT capability to the microgrid. A negative and positive sequence droop based control method is proposed in [34] to mitigate the asymmetrical voltage sags in microgrids. In this sequence/droop based strategy appropriate proportions of positive and negative sequence active and reactive power are injected to the network to mitigate the voltage sag in the network. As this strategy is developed for a 3-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) based distributed generation (DG) systems, similar strategy could be adopted for an ESS interfaced with 3-phase VSI.
4.2.2. Managing Voltage Unbalance
The voltage unbalance is another major power quality issue reported in ac microgrids. The excessive voltage unbalance could cause induction motor driven pumps to overheat and ultimately lead to immature failure of the motor. The voltage unbalance is mainly caused by the unevenly distributed single-phase loads in the microgrid. Load reconfiguration is one option, however due to the stochastic nature of the loads, load reconfiguration does not always guarantee a perfect distribution of load in all three phases in the microgrid.
Various voltage unbalance mitigation strategies have been proposed for microgrids [52–55] and strategies are mainly implemented at the power electronic converter of the distributed generator. In every strategy, positive and negative sequence voltages are extracted and subsequently positive and negative sequence components are controlled separately to mitigate the voltage unbalance in he microgrid.
In [52], voltage unbalance mitigation strategy was implemented for DGs and active power filter in a microgrid. The hierarchical control strategy is used in [52] in which primary control was used for power sharing among DGs, while at the secondary control voltage unbalance mitigation strategy was implemented. Furthermore, this strategy only activates when the microgrid violates the maximum voltage unbalance factor (VUF) allowed for the microgrid. Voltage unbalance mitigation strategy proposed in [53] deploys a direct voltage unbalance compensation scheme by controlling the negative sequence reactive power in the synchronous reference frame. The advantage of this strategy is that it can continuously control voltage unbalance in the microgrid. Authors in [54] have proposed to control the active and reactive power ripple in order to attenuate the voltage unbalance in the microgrid. A factor called “K” was defined by the authors in order to command active and reactive power ripple from the DG. Therefore, by varying the K factor based on the network characteristics (i.e., X/R ratio)and the unbalance level, voltage unbalance could be mitigated in the microgrid. Since all these strategies are implemented in 3-phase VSIs, these strategies could be adopted for ESSs interfaced with 3-phase VSIs.
4.2.3. Managing Harmonics and Resonance Issues
Due to non-linear power electronic loads connected on-board, ship power network may contain significant harmonics in their network and subsequently may lead to detrimental resonance issues in the network. The most common method of eliminating harmonics is connecting passive filters in series with the harmonic emission source, which could be either a non-linear power electronic load or power electronic based distributed generator. However, the main focus here being reviewing the active harmonic elimination techniques used in microgrids.
A range of harmonic and resonance elimination techniques has been proposed, mainly focusing on terrestrial microgrids [55–62]. The harmonic mitigation strategies are proposed for both voltage and current harmonics in microgrids. The most commonly proposed methods are selective harmonic current injection for current harmonic mitigation [55,56,61], virtual grid impedance [31,32],resistive active power filter [59], repetitive control methods [60], and using additional devices such as D-STATCOM [35].
In selective harmonic current injection, it is required to have a good understanding of the nature of the harmonic currents to inject opposing currents by the VSI to cancel out the harmonics in the microgrid [55–58]. Therefore, in addition to the main load current reference an additional harmonic current is added to the current reference of the battery inverter as stated in [55]. A similar selective harmonic compensation scheme has been proposed in references [56] for the DGs in the microgrid.
In order to share the harmonic current injections equally among all the DG inverters a virtual impedance has also been proposed in this paper.
A virtual impedance is added to the control loop in [58] to attenuate the harmonic current injections by DGs due to voltage distortions present in the network. Since larger the voltage distortion, higher the harmonic current injections by inverter interfaced DGs. In addition, a capacitive virtual impedance has been proposed in order to share the harmonic compensation load equally among all DGs. In [58], a virtual impedance method has also been used for the damping harmonic voltages due to the adverse effect of the grid-side inductor of the LCL filter.
In addition, resistive active filter methods are also proposed in the literature to suppress harmonics in small grids, similar to the size of microgrids. In this proposed active filter, harmonic voltages are extracted in synchronous reference frame and subsequently drive the current regulator to produce a voltage command to suppress harmonic voltages [59]. Furthermore, repetitive control methods have also been proposed for voltage harmonic suppression, and also used D-STATCOMs to suppress harmonics in the network.
4.2.4. Managing Frequency Excursions
In terrestrial microgrids, ESSs play an important role in maintaining the power balance in the microgrid. The ac network frequency is considered as the main indicator for the power balance in ac microgrids, hence the ESSs can be primarily controlled based on the microgrid ac network frequency.
When the ac network frequency increases the ESS could be charged, while ac system frequency decreases it could be discharged to balance the power. The system response during frequency variations can be mainly divided into three types: primary, secondary and tertiary. During the primary response, conventional generators will release the stored kinetic energy within first few seconds, and subsequently the generator governor increases the power output based on the error between the actual frequency and reference frequency. The primary response is vital in maintaining the frequency stability of the ac grid, as the failure to maintain the frequency within a defined frequency band would cause failure in the entire network. However, microgrids are typically comprised of inverter-interfaced generation sources; hence they would not respond naturally to system frequency variations.
In the published literature, various strategies have been proposed to emulate inertial response or frequency response for power electronics based wind generation systems [63–66]. As the ESSs are also interfaced through power electronic converter systems, the emulated frequency response strategies can also be applied to ESS control scheme. This could be achieved by adding an additional control loop to the main active power control loop of the energy storage system to increase the power output in order to mitigate the frequency drop [64].
The use of energy storage technologies for mitigating voltage and frequency fluctuations is well explored in the recent literature [67–69]. In majority of the ac systems, where the grid is considered to be predominantly inductive, the ESSs are designed to exchange active power to regulate the frequency. If there is a sudden change of the load, ESS can acts fast to supply the power deficit or absorb the surplus power and thus the system frequency stays within a predefined range. This approach is commonly known as P/f control.
4.3. Challenges of Incorporating Power Quality Mitigation Strategies to ESSs
Although there is a range of energy storage technologies available for ship microgrids, the main challenge being the accurate selection and design of the energy storage system to counteract the specific power quality issue in the ship microgrid. Traditionally ESSs are chosen based on emergency energy needs and economic considerations, hence the characteristics associated the ESS is treated as a secondary requirement. For example, if a battery based ESS is chosen to mitigate voltage sags caused by high pulsed loads, then the ESS could fail over time due to its incapability to deliver high power at fast ramp rates. Thus, the main challenge is the selection of the appropriate technology to suit power quality issues and other traditional requirements. Perhaps the ESS designer should make a trade-off between the traditional needs and power quality needs when designing ESSs for future ship microgrids. The hybrid energy storage is one of the viable option to fulfil this requirement.
The above mentioned P/f and Q/V control approach is suitable only for more inductive systems [70], which are generally high voltage systems. Nevertheless, low voltage ac power systems, which are commonly found in ships, are more resistive than inductive, and thus a different approach should be used. In such systems, active power has a greater influence on the voltage and thus ESSs are needed to exchange active power for voltage regulation with reactive power exchange being controlled to regulate frequency. In dc ship power systems, the ESSs are used to regulate the voltage by supplying the deficit of power or absorbing the surplus of power. The control of the interfacing power converter is straight forward, as it does not involve synchronization of frequency control. In summary, it is clear that irrespective of the type and characteristics of the power system, ESS should act fast to keep the voltage and frequency within a permissible range.
Power levels of the converters used to drive propulsion motors or other large motors in pumps, fans or thrusters are very high and they work relatively at low frequencies. Consequently, waveform distortion, commonly known as harmonic distortion produced by these converters are very high. A common solution used to reduce harmonic distortion is the use of passive filters which are heavy, bulky, and less reliable, mainly due to the capacitors in these filters. As an alternative, ESS interfacing power converters can be used as an active filter as well and thereby mitigate harmonics produced by large motor drives.
5. Concluding Remarks
With the extensive use of power electronic converters and range of high power rapid response loads in ship microgrids, issues related to power quality are becoming significant. Thus, this review paper categorically analysed the range of power quality issue in ship microgrids and subsequently discussed mitigation strategies using different types of ESSs and various control mechanisms. The majority of ESSs are dc in nature and low in operating voltage levels and thus interfacing dc-dc or dc-ac converters are essential for integrating them to the ship power systems. Since the ESSs are used only as a supporting system their power levels are relatively low and thus high frequency switching is possible in these converters. This allows them to respond fast and reduce waveform distortions.
The mitigation strategies are primarily based on strategies proposed for terrestrial microgrids, as the same strategies could be implemented at the power electronic converter interfaced energy sources. This paper highlights that when implementing these strategies, characteristics of the ESSs should be carefully analysed as the power density and energy density greatly affect the effectiveness of the mitigation strategy. Thus, it is important to select the appropriate energy storage technology considering the type of power quality issue(s) being addressed.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Published by Arangarajan Vinayagam1, Asma Aziz1, KSV Swarna1, Suiyang Khoo1 and Alex Stojcevski2
1Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University, Geelong Australia. 2Centre of Technology, RMIT University, Vietnam.
Abstract—Microgrid (MG) power system plays an important role to fulfill reliable and secure energy supply to critical loads of communities as well as for communities in remote area. Distributed Generation (DG) sources integrated in a MG provides numerous benefits, at the same time leads to power quality issues in the MG power distribution network. Power Quality (PQ) issue arises due to the integration of an intermittent nature of Renewable Energy (RE) sources with advanced Power Electronics (PE) converter technology. Also, presence of nonlinear and unbalancing loads in MG seems to affect PQ of the energy supply in power distribution network. In this paper, PQ impacts like; power variation, voltage variation, Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), and Unbalance voltage level have been analysed in Low Voltage (LV) distribution network of typical MG power system model. In this study, development of MG model and PQ impact analysis through simulation has been done in PSS-Sincal software environment. Analysis results from the study can be used as a guideline for developing a real and independent MG power system with improved PQ conditions.
Keywords – microgrid; distributed generation; power quality; renewable energy; power electronics
I. INTRODUCTION
A small entity of electrical network known as Microgrid provides secure and reliable energy supply to the critical loads of communities. It also provides a sustainable and self dependent energy supply to communities in remote area where there is no access or facility for main grid power system. MG should be capable of operating either in on-gird or off-grid mode [1, 2]. MG incorporates several DG sources like; RE, conventional power units, and various types of energy storage options. DG in MG provides several benefits such as; low carbon emission of energy supply, improved efficiency and reliability of energy supply, reduction of power losses in distribution network, and defers enhancement of distribution network infrastructure facility etc. Despite of benefits, DG also creates various PQ issues like; power flow variation which causes voltage and frequency deviations, unbalance voltage and current, poor power factor, harmonic distortions, voltage flicker, voltage sag / swell etc. in the MG distribution network [3, 4]. PQ analysis of MG is essential to quantify the level of PQ issues, in order to develop a real MG model with improved PQ conditions through optimum control measures. Several studies and analysis were carried out by researchers over the PQ issues in MG power network at various conditions. [5] THD analysis was performed through simulation in a typical Photo Voltaic (PV) integrated low voltage distribution network at various conditions. THD voltage and current levels were found high in the following conditions; penetration of PV at higher level, far end feeder, low load, and load operates at leading power factor. [6] PQ issues were analysed in a typical MG power system at various level of RE penetrations and weather conditions through Matlab software simulation. The level of PQ issues was found high, at 66.6%, and 99.9% of RE penetration as compared to 33.3% level. [7] THD analysis was done while integrating PV with linear and non-linear load. At higher PV penetration level with linear load, THD was found high. At 10% of PV penetration with non-linear load (with respect to linear load), THD was around 4% whereas at 15% of PV penetration with non-linear, THD level was found above standard limit around 5.06%. In addition to THD analysis, three PQ indices were applied to evaluate level of power distortion, wave form distortion, and unbalance in the system network. Similarly, in [8] analysed at above 50% of PV penetration, voltage THD level exceeds above standard level, also found that reduction of voltage THD at worst node when penetrating more PV nearby substation as well as with more loops in highly meshed network.
In this study, in addition to THD analysis other PQ factors such as; power variation, voltage variation, unbalance voltage level also have been analysed in a typical MG power system model through software simulation. Development of MG model and impact analysis has been carried out in PSS-Sincal software environment [9]. The output results from this study will aid in developing a real MG model with improved PQ conditions for communities in future. The section II defines the details of MG model and types of analysis, section III explains the analysis results and discussion, and the conclusion of this study and future research work is given in section IV.
II. MG MODEL AND DETAILS OF ANALYSIS
A. MG Power System Model
Development of MG model and specification of its associated elements have been considered as follows; Grid source (100 MVA/66 KV) Solar PV (100 KW each), Diesel generator unit (3.25 MVA/2.4 KV/ power factor: 0.9), three phase linear and non-linear load groups, single phase distributed loads with single phase solar PV (10 KW each), 11KV feeders, main transformer (8 MVA, 66 KV/11 KV), and 4 numbers of distribution transformers (1 MVA, 11 KV/415 V). The details of DG units, 11 KV line parameters, and details of each load groups are shown in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3 respectively. The typical schematic diagram of MG model is shown in Figure 1.
FIGURE I. TYPICAL SOLAR PV MG MODEL
TABLE I. DETAILS DG UNITS
TABLE II. 11 KV LINE PARAMETERS
TABLE III. DETAILS OF LOAD GROUPS
B. Power Flow Analysis
Due to an intermittency nature of solar irradiance, variation of solar PV output power can be expected in different timescales such as; in seconds, minutes, and minutes to hourly level. In this study, power variation, and voltage variation level at LV local bus nodes in MG network were estimated as per daily load and solar profile condition through Newton Raphson algorithm method of power flow analysis.
C. Harmonic Analysis
Harmonics are the frequencies that are integer multiples of fundamental frequency. PE converter and non-linear loads are the main causes for current harmonics domination in MG network. Due to the system impedance, harmonic current injected into the supply system can also cause the rise of voltage harmonics. In PSS-Sincal, voltage and current THD level were estimated on the basis of network impedance between a defined starting and ending frequency at given frequency step. In addition, typical harmonic current data for PV inverter and non-linear load [10] (25% of harmonic current level of Class-A- and Class-D equipment’s) have been considered for this analysis. Typical harmonic current curves for 100KW PV inverter and non-linear load (Class-A and Class-D equipment’s) are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 respectively. THD is the ratio of r.m.s value of sum of all the harmonic components up to a specific order to the r.m.s value of fundamental component. The current THD (THDI) and voltage THD (THDV) are expressed as per in the following equations (1) and (2) [11] respectively.
where Ih1 is the current harmonic fundamental, Uh1 is the voltage harmonic fundamental, Ihn is the highest order of current harmonic, and Uhn is the highest order of voltage harmonic.
FIGURE II. HARMONIC CURRENT CURVE FOR PV INVERTER
FIGURE III. HARMONIC CURRENT CURVE FOR NON-LINEAR LOAD
D. Unbalance Voltage Analysis
Voltage unbalance is a significant PQ issue in the distribution network of MG power system. Voltage unbalance is mainly caused by uneven distribution of single phase loads, single phase DG units, and unequal system impedance in LV network etc. [12]. In PSS-Sincal software, unbalance voltage level can be calculated through the asymmetrical method of load flow analysis. For this analysis, typical unequal distribution of single phase load and single phase solar PV have been considered. Unbalance voltage factor (UVF) has been calculated as per the equation (3) [13] as shown below.
where Vn is negative sequence voltage, Vp is positive sequence voltage.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In this section overall simulation results, given in Table 4 and Table. 5 are discussed in detail.
A. Power Variation
Solar disturbance due to the cloud effect can be considered as one of the main reason for power intermittency in PV output. PV power intermittency can be considered in different time scales like; in “second” level causes voltage flicker and in “minute” level affects the regulation of power generation reserve in power system [14]. A typical solar disturbance for each PV (100 KW) with total installed capacity of around 1 MW, connected at LV (415 V) bus node N7 has been considered for this analysis. During this period of solar disturbance from 11 hours to 11:40 hours, each PV output power variation was observed from minimum 0 KW to maximum 73 KW, as shown in Figure 4.
According to daily load profile, an active power and reactive power flow from supply sources (Grid / Diesel generator) are shown in Figure 5. Due to this cumulative effect of power variation from all ten PV units, corresponding power flow variation from grid supply source and diesel generator unit were observed during on-grid and off-grid mode of operation. As shown in Figure 6, power variation was observed from minimum 850 KW to maximum 1600 KW in grid side as well as from diesel generator. This significant power variation creates a situation for an urgent need of power generation reserve and regulation from grid source during on grid mode of MG operation. Similarly, output power variation of solar PV creates a situation for frequent ramp up and ramp down of power requirement from diesel generator, which will lead to increase in wear and tear effect of conventional power unit components, maintenance cost, and thereby reducing the efficiency of diesel generator.
TABLE IV. RESULTS OF POWER AND VOLTAGE VARIATION
TABLE V. RESULTS OF THD AND UNBALANCE VOLTAGE LEVEL
FIGURE IV. PV OUTPUT POWER VARIATION
FIGURE V. POWER FLOW VARIATION (GRID / DG)
FIGURE VI. POWER VARIATION (GRID / DG)
B. Voltage Variation
Variation of output active power disturbs the flow of reactive power causing local variation in voltage level at LV bus node N7. During solar disturbance, a small voltage variation at LV bus node N7 was observed from minimum 97.8 % to maximum 98.1% as shown in Figure 7.
FIGURE VII. VOLTAGE VARIATION AT LV BUS NODE N7
However in case of large level PV integration in a weak network or at peak load with low voltage condition, this voltage variation may reach in a significant level and can affect any sensitive loads connected to that particular bus node.
C. Harmonic Distortion
Voltage and current THD in MG network were analysed with 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% of PV penetration in reference to the connected total linear load at LV bus node N7, non-linear load at LV bus node N9, and composite load (linear non-linear) at LV bus node N10 respectively. As per the AS4777-2005 standard [15], current THD of inverter up to 50th harmonic order should be less than 5% and compatibility levels of voltage THD as per AS/NZS 61000 [16] should be around 8%.
Both current and voltage THD level exceeds the standard limit for 100% PV penetration at LV bus node N7 as shown in Figure 8. For 70% of PV penetration level, voltage THD value was within the standard limit, whereas the current THD value exceeds the standard limit. Both the current and voltage THD level were well below the standard limit for 50% and 30% of PV penetration level. From the above results, it is clear that the current and voltage THD gets higher as the level of PV penetration increases. This is due to the cumulative effect of harmonic current injection from PV inverters during higher level of PV generation with reference to full load current of linear load at bus node N7.
As per the THD results at bus node N9 shown in Figure 9, current THD values for all the PV penetration levels were significantly high as compared to bus node N7 and also found to be above the standard limit. In 100% of PV penetration level, voltage THD were observed just above standard limit (8.1%) and within the standard limit for other penetration levels. This is due to the effect of only non-linear load (class-A and class-D equipment) connected at bus node N9.
THD results at bus node N10 as shown in Figure 10, clearly indicated that the current THD values were high and above standard limit for all levels of PV penetration (100%, 70%, 50% and 30%) except 20%. Voltage THD values were found to be below the standard limit for all other penetration levels except 100%. Voltage and current THD values at bus node N9 were low as compared to their counterparts at bus node N10. This is due to the effect of composite load where the linear and non-linear loads are distributed in equal (50%) proportion at bus node N10. In this study, harmonic filter (passive or active) was not taken into account in the MG network. Only typical current harmonic data for each PV inverter and non-linear load was considered for this THD analysis study.
Based on the results from Figure 8, Figure 9, and Figure 10, it is clear that the THD reaches in significant level in case of higher level of PV penetration, and amount of non-linear load present in the MG network. This high. level of THD can cause power losses, overheating of conductors, transformers, capacitor banks, motors or generators, and excessive current in neutral line etc. [11] in MG network.
FIGURE VIII. PV WITH LINEAR LOADAT LV BUS NODE N7
FIGURE IX. PV WITH NON-LINEAR LOAD AT LV BUS NODE N9
FIGURE X. PV WITH COMPOSITE LOAD AT LV BUS NODE N10
D. Voltage Unbalance
In this study, unbalance voltage level was estimated with typical uneven distribution of single phase loads and single phase PV generators at LV bus node N8. As per the standard AS/NZS 61000.2 [16], compatibility level of unbalance voltage limit in LV network should be less than 3%. At bus node N8, single phase solar PV and single phase loads were distributed in each phase as follows; 10 KW solar PV and 300 KVA load in phase-A, 100 KW PV and 100 KVA load in phase-B, 200 KW PV and 10 KVA load in phase-C respectively. According to typical daily load profile, each phase voltage level at bus node N8 are shown in Figure 11. As per the daily voltage profile, it was observed that during peak load period (12:30 hrs), the voltage level difference between phase-A and phase-B, C was more compared to that of low demand period (05:30 hrs). As shown in Figure 12 that the Voltage level in phase-A was low around 96.2% (399 V), whereas in phase-C was around 99.4 % (413 V). Through this analysis that the unbalance voltage level at bus node N8 was estimated and found within standard AS/NZS 61000.2 [16] limit of around 1.48%. However, this value may vary according to load condition as per voltage profile shown in Figure 11 and also it can increase further above the standard limit in case of any large LV distribution network with the uneven impedance level, uneven distribution of single phase loads and PV generation in LV network etc. This excessive unbalance voltage can have a significant impact on de-rating of the induction motor with increased heating and losses, increased thermal stress for variable speed drive (VSD) electronic components with the addition of triplen harmonic current etc. [12].
FIGURE XI. UNBALANCE VOLTAGE PROFILE AT BUS NODE N8
FIGURE XII. UNBALANCE VOLTAGE AT BUS NODE N8
IV. CONCLUSION
In this paper, PQ issues like power variation, voltage variation, THD, and unbalance voltage level were analysed and quantified through the simulation of typical MG model in PSS Sincal software environment. These PQ issues arise mainly due to the integration of an intermittent nature of DG sources with PE converter technology and presence of unbalanced / non-linear loads in the MG network. From this simulation results, it can be concluded that the power variation from solar PV output due to solar disturbance causes corresponding effect of power flow variation in both the grid source and diesel generator unit during on-grid as well as off grid mode of MG operation. PV output power variation also causes local voltage variation at LV bus node N7. Voltage and current THD were observed in an increasing trend with increase of PV penetration levels for all bus nodes N7, N9 and N10. As compared to bus node N7 where linear load connected that the current THD were observed in significant level and found to be above the standard limit at bus node N9 and N10. This is due to the effect of non-linear and composite load connected at bus node N9 and N10 respectively. The unbalance voltage level at N8 was around 1.48%, this is due to an uneven distribution of the single phase loads and PV generation at bus node N8. Results from this analysis study will be helpful to develop MG model with improved PQ conditions by implementing appropriate control measures in MG network. Considering the findings of this study, future research work for MG model will focus in the following directions;
Integration of energy storage with implementation of PQ compensating techniques
Implementation of optimum control and operating strategies
V. REFERENCES
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Source: International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering (SEEE 2015)
Published by Mirus International Inc., [2010-01-08] MIRUS-FAQ001-B2, FAQ’s Harmonic Mitigating Transformers, 31 Sun Pac Blvd., Brampton, Ontario, Canada. L6S 5P6.
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3. Many HMT designs are highly efficient at 60Hz as well as at harmonic frequencies. Energy Star compliant models meet NEMA TP-1 energy efficiency minimums at 35% loading. This is typically achieved by reducing core losses to further improve efficiencies under lightly loaded conditions. For optimum energy efficiency performance, Mirus’ Energy Star compliant Harmony™ Series HMT’s are designed to meet NEMA TP-1 minimum efficiencies not only at 35% but in the entire operating range from 35% to 65%.
Figure 14-1: 75 kVA Transformer losses at various loading conditions with non-linear K-9 load profile.
Figure 14-1 provides an example of the energy savings that can be realized when HMT’s are used in lieu of conventional or K-rated transformers. A K-9 load profile, typical of a high concentration of computer equipment (Ithd = 83%), was selected for the analysis. Losses were calculated for various types of 75 kVA transformers at varying load conditions. In the graph, Conv is a conventional delta-wye transformer, K-13 is a K-13 rated delta-wye and H1E is a Harmony-1E™ single output Energy Star compliant HMT.
Figure 14-2: Energy Efficiencies for various types of 75 kVA transformers supplying linear (K-1) loads and non-linear (K-9) loads under varying load conditions.
The chart shows how energy savings become more and more substantial as a transformer’s load increases. This is logical since it is the load losses which are most affected by the harmonic currents and these are proportional to the square of the current (I2R and I2h2). Figure 14-2 further emphasizes how transformer efficiencies are affected by non-linear loading. It compares the performance of various types of transformers with linear loading (K-1) and non-linear loading (K-9). The efficiencies of the conventional and K-13 transformer are much lower when they are subjected to a load with a K-9 profile, especially under the heavier loading conditions.
Determining the amount of energy savings associated with a reduction in harmonic losses requires information on the Electric Utility rate and the load’s operating profile. These parameters can vary quite substantially depending upon the location of the facility and the specific application. Table 14-1 shows the energy savings that can be realized when a Harmony-1E HMT is compared with a typical K-13 transformer. As in the previous examples, the transformers are 75 kVA and the non-linear load profile is that of a typical K-9 load.
Table 14-1
Table 14-1: HMT energy savings and payback estimate comparing a 75 kVA HMT to a K-13 transformer in a typical office environment with a high concentration of computer equipment
The monetary savings are based on the equipment operating 12 hours per day, 260 days per year at an average Utility rate of $0.07 per kWhr and assumes that additional cooling energy is required by the building’s air conditioning system to remove the heat produced by the transformer losses. The calculation is as follows:
Annual Consumption =(Total losses in kW) x (hrs/day) x (days/yr) + (NL loss in kW) x (24 – hrs/day) x (365 – days/yr)) $/yr Savings = (H1E Annual Consumption – K13 Annual Consumption) x 1.35 x (rate in $/kWhr)
This previous example could be typical of an office environment with a high concentration of computer loads and with the transformer located in air conditioned space. The requirement to cool the heat produced by the transformer’s losses is typically 30% to 40% of the power in the losses (thus the 1.35 multiplier in calculation of $/yr Savings). Paybacks were calculated based on estimated transformer costs and would result in recovering the Harmony-1E premium many times over based on the transformer’s life expectancy of 30 to 40 years.
Table 14.2 provides another example. In this case, a lower harmonic content K4 load profile was used with the equipment operating 24 hrs/day, 365 days a year and the transformer located in air conditioned space. An example of such a location might be a Broadcasting Facility or Data Center. As can be seen, paybacks are even more attractive.
Table 14.2
Table 14-2: HMT energy savings and payback estimate comparing a 75 kVA HMT to a K-13 transformer in a typical Broadcasting Facility or Data Center
In summary, the inherent ability of Harmonic Mitigating Transformers to cancel harmonic currents within their windings can result in quantifiable energy savings when compared with the losses that would exist if conventional or K-rated transformers were used. If we consider the average premium cost of an HMT over a K-13 transformer, the typical payback in energy savings is 1 to 4 years when loading is expected to be in the 50% to 65% range.
Harmonics and Harmonic Mitigating Transformers (HMT’s) Questions and Answers
This document has been written to provide answers to the more frequently asked questions we have received regarding harmonics and the Harmonic Mitigating Transformer technology used to address them. This information will be of interest to both those experienced in harmonic mitigation techniques and those new to the problem of harmonics. For additional information visit our Website at www.mirusinternational.com.
Published by Carelabs, Carelabs is authorized provider of Electrical Installation’s Study, Analysis, Inspection, and Certification services in UAE. Website: carelabz.com
Image: Carelabs – PAT test
Portable appliance testing (commonly known as “PAT”, “PAT Inspection” or (redundantly) as “PAT Testing) is the term used to describe the examination of electrical appliances and equipment to ensure they are safe to use. The formal term for the process is “in-service inspection & testing of electrical equipment”. Most electrical safety defects can be found by visual examination but some types of defect can only be found by testing. However, it is essential to understand that visual examination is an essential part of the process because some types of electrical safety defect can’t be detected by testing alone.
It’s a myth that all portable electrical appliances in a low-risk environment, such as an office, need to have a portable appliance test (PAT) every year. The law simply requires employers to ensure electrical equipment is maintained in order to prevent danger – it doesn’t state what needs to be done or how often.
The frequency of inspection and testing depends upon the type of equipment and the environment it is used in. For example, a power tool used on a construction site should be examined more frequently than a lamp in a hotel bedroom. For guidance on suggested frequencies of inspection and testing, see: Maintaining portable and transportable electrical equipment.
Why PAT is Done?
The key word is liability. An employer or manufacturer should show as much concern about safety as does the legal system. The liability is with the employer or owner of a place of business, or public place, to ensure that all electrical equipment accessible by employees or the public is maintained in a safe condition. The liability is with the manufacturer of electrical equipment to ensure that the equipment is safe for those who operate it. The best way to ensure electrical safety is by routine visual examination, electrical testing and documentation.
The NFPA standard states that “Electricity is widely recognized as a serious workplace hazard, exposing employees to electric shock, burns, fires, and explosions. Underlying causes are listed as work involving unsafe equipment and installations, workplaces made unsafe by the environment, and unsafe work performance. Hazards stemming from faulty equipment are further identified as faulty insulation, improper grounding, loose connections, defective parts, ground faults in equipment, unguarded live parts, and underrated equipment.”
Health and safety regulations require that electrical appliances are safe and maintained to prevent harm to workers. Many equipment manufacturers recommend testing at regular intervals to ensure continual safety; the interval between tests depending on both the type of appliance and the environment in which it is to be used. Some equipment is just more likely to sustain damage than others. Handheld types are handled and moved more than other types and this can lead to rough handling, which often results in damage and early life failure. The legislation deems that any competent person can perform it by using a PAT instrument or tester. The visual examination of each appliance in addition to the actual PAT test should be performed only by someone who is deemed competent.
Testing equipment has been specifically developed for PAT inspections, based on the testing equipment used by manufacturers to ensure compliance with the British Standard Code of Practice and European product standards relevant to that type of appliance. This in turn allows testing and the interpretation of results to be de-skilled to a large extent (citation needed). The inspection of the appliances can largely be carried out in-house in many organisations. This can result in cost savings and more flexibility as to exactly when a PAT is carried out.
What is Done During PAT?
A relatively brief user check (based upon simple training and perhaps assisted by the use of a brief checklist) can be a very useful part of any electrical maintenance regime. However, more formal visual inspection and testing by a competent person may also be required at appropriate intervals, depending upon the type of equipment and the environment in which it is used.
Testing involves a visual inspection of the equipment and any flexible cables for good condition, and also where required, verification of earthing (grounding) continuity, and a test of the soundness of insulation between the current carrying parts, and any exposed metal that may be touched. The formal limits for pass/fail of these electrical tests vary somewhat depending on the category of equipment being tested.
PAT can be done by hiring an external company, like Carelabs, to test all the electrical products in a business or it can be done in-house by a competent person. In a low-risk environment most dangerous defects can be found simply by checking the appliances for obvious signs of damage such as frayed cables.
The dangers of contact with live electrical parts need no explanation to an electrician. However, the environments in which the majority of portable appliances are used are not necessarily where operators would be aware of the dangers or the implications of damage to equipment. The point of routine visual inspection and electrical testing is to identify potential hazards and actual dangers before they turn into an accident.
The hazards that must be identified include:
Personal exposure to live conductors — electrocution.
High current faults causing excessive heat — fire.
Intermittent connection — arcing causing heat and potential ignition.
These hazards can be identified by performing in-service:
Regular electrical tests.
Visual examination.
Combined visual examination and electrical tests.
Various people have responsibility for electrical equipment, including:
Property owners, equipment owners, company owners, directors, and line managers etc.
The person undertaking the formal visual examination and electrical testing.
Maintenance managers.
Operators of the equipment.
What Needs to be PAT Tested?
Determining what needs to be PAT tested is not as difficult as it sounds. For the purpose of legislation, portable appliances include all equipment that is not part of a fixed installation but is meant to be connected to a fixed installation or generator. Any appliance that uses a flexible cable or plug and socket qualifies as a portable appliance. In other words, if you have an appliance that has a plug that is intended to be connected to a wall socket or generator, it qualifies as needing to be PAT tested.
This can include items such as electric drills, monitors, printers, PCs, kettles and larger items like photocopiers, vending machines and others. So a cordless power tool would not need to be PAT tested but their battery chargers that plug into the wall for power do need to be tested.
All IT equipment should be tested, including power cords to this equipment although they are required to be tested separately from the equipment that they power, because they are held to a different standard. Electrical cable extensions are the most commonly tested items as they are among the most common sources of safety hazards. All of your 110 volt equipment in addition to all 3 phase equipment should also be tested.
PAT Testing Regulations
Conforming to PAT testing regulations will help you to ensure that the portable appliances in your business are safe and help you to avoid violations. PAT testing legislation was put into effect to ensure that all companies conform to the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974, Electricity at Work Regulations of 1989, Provision and Use of Work Equipment regulations of 1998 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations of 1999.
The current law requires that all employers maintain portable appliances and ensure their safety. PAT testing law requires that all landlords, employers and even self-employed individuals make sure that their portable electrical appliances are safe and are suitable and used for the purposes intended. These appliances should always be maintained properly and remain in good working order.
The guidelines are designed to make certain that this equipment is kept protected and is preserved through regular maintenance as well as inspections and periodic testing. Damage and fault can occur with all electrical equipment use which makes it essential that these items are tested regularly for safety. According to PAT testing legislation, a competent person is someone who has experience or knowledge of being able to check and test appliances for safety purposes. Those with knowledge of electricity in general as well as anyone who has experience in electrical work can be deemed capable. It is imperative that employers, landlords and self-employed individuals follow the rules to ensure that their workplaces are safe. Testing can be done by any number of PAT testing companies or individuals can obtain certification to perform their own testing by successfully completing coursework in this field.
Frequency of PAT Testing
In order to determine how often you should have your appliances tested, you should bear in mind a few different factors:
Equipment that is used more should be tested more frequently. This equipment is likely to suffer less damage than that used regularly.
If people using equipment report any damages as they become noticeable, there is less chance of a major hazard. If equipment regularly receives damage or abuse that is not reported then inspections and testing are required more frequently.
The type of equipment in question is a major factor in determining PAT testing frequency. Hand held appliances are more likely to become damaged than those that are stationary. Class 1 appliances carry the greatest risk of danger and should be tested more often.
Portable appliance testing is the visual examination and electrical testing of portable electrical equipment used in industrial, commercial or public access areas and locations (including rented property) to ensure they are safe to use, and cannot present an electrical hazard to the operator or anyone in their vicinity. Among the issues that can arise are:
Exposure to live, conductive parts due to damage to the outer casing of the equipment.
Worn and/or frayed power cord.
Defective, lose or missing earth/ground connections.
Failure to identify and correct problems such as those listed above can result in the electrical equipment becoming a shock hazard or a fire risk.
Many of these problems can be identified visually, but still often go unreported. Internal faults often go undetected. Portable appliance testing involves performing a series of tests that, taken together, are designed to identify any faults or product defects that would otherwise not be detected. In addition to protecting personnel, regular safety checks of electrical equipment tend to increase the operational life of equipment.
How PAT Testing is Done?
Visual Examination
Visual examination is vital and always precedes electrical testing. It often reveals major defects that would not be revealed by testing alone.
Categories of in-service visual examination and electrical testing are divided into three types:
1. Operator Checks (no records if equipment is OK).
All users of equipment must understand how important operator checks are. Some equipment and environments may demand special needs but generally the following list is a typical checklist that operators should be using.
Check the condition of the appliance/equipment (look for cracks or damage).
Examine the cable supplying the item, looking for cuts, abrasions, cracks, etc.
Check the cable sheath is secure in the plug and the appliance.
Look for signs of overheating.
Check that it has a valid label indicating that it has been formally inspected and tested and the date of the next inspection and/or test.
Decide if the item is suitable for the environment in which it is to be used, for example 230 V appliances should not be used on a construction site, unless protected by a 30 mA RCD.
If all these checks prove satisfactory, check that the appliance is working correctly.
2. Formal Visual Examination (recorded)
Check cable runs to ensure that cables will not be damaged by staff or heavy equipment.
Make sure that plugs, sockets, flex outlets, isolators, etc. are always accessible to enable disconnection/isolation of the supply, either for functional, maintenance or emergency purposes. For example, in many office environments, socket outlets are very often obscured by filing cabinets.
Check that items that require clear ventilation, such as convector heaters, VDUs, etc., are not covered in paper, files, etc., and that foreign bodies or moisture cannot accidentally enter such equipment.
Ensure that cables exiting from plugs or equipment are not tightly bent.
Check that multi-way adaptors/extension leads are not excessively used.
Check that equipment is suitable for both the purpose to which it is being put and the environment in which it is being used.
Ensure that accessories/equipment are disconnected from the supply during the inspection process, either by removing he plug or by switching off at a connection unit or isolator.
Take great care before isolating or switching off business equipment. Ensure that a responsible person agrees that this may be done, otherwise this may result in a serious loss of information, working processes, etc.
3. Combined Visual Examination and Electrical Testing (recorded):
At periodic intervals, the portable appliances are tested to measure that the degree of protection to ensure that it is adequate. At these intervals, a formal visual inspection is carried out and then followed by PAT testing. Note the inside of the plug should be checked unless it is moulded or there is an unbroken seal covering the screws (bad internal wiring or an unsuitable fuse would cause the item to be classed as dangerous).
Frequency of Visual Examination and Electrical Testing depends on a number of factors. No strict test schedules exist. If the cable passes your visual inspection, use a standard test lead (included with most PAT testers) to perform the following testing procedures:
Earth Bond/Continuity Test
Earth bond/continuity tests only apply to Class I equipment and are used to confirm the existence of a safety return path. The purpose of the test is to ensure that the ground terminal has a low resistance connection to the conductive metal casing of the appliance. An effective connection to the system ground within the fixed installation of the premises ensures safety. There are two methods available and different circumstances will require each method:
Testing is performed using an ohmmeter or PAT tester;
Using the ohmmeter to produce a reading
Using a PAT tester under the following conditions
12V maximum, test current range 100mA to 200mA – commonly known as “earth continuity test” or “screen test”
12V maximum, test current 10A – commonly known as “routine test”
12V maximum, 1.5 times rated current of appliance or 25A, whichever is greater – commonly known as “type test” or “bond test”
Low Current Continuity Test:
A continuity measurement should be made using a short circuit test current between 20-200 mA between exposed conductive parts of the equipment and the earth pin of the plug (or earth/ground-terminal of the supply). This test is performed using the earth bond lead. The maximum value of resistance should be noted while flexing the asset supply cable and a visual examination of the power cable terminations at both ends should be made. Any fluctuation in the reading should be investigated to identify the cause. The test current is so low that there is no risk of damaging earth connections that may exist for functional, rather than safety, reasons. This low-current test is sometimes referred to as a “soft test.”
High Current Bond Test
A continuity measurement using a test current of max 26A for between 5 to 20 seconds. This test is used where the user has concerns that a ground may be maintained by a few strands of wire or where poor surface contact by the probes or clips could give a misleading reading. The bond test should be connected between exposed earthed/ grounded conductive parts of the equipment and the ground pin of the plug (or ground-terminal of the supply). This is done by connecting the earth bond lead to the exposed metalwork. The maximum value of resistance should be noted while flexing the asset supply cable and a visual examination of the power cable terminations at both ends should be made. Any fluctuation in the reading should be investigated to identify the cause.
Insulation Test
The insulation test is used to confirm that there is separation between the live conductors (live and neutral) and any accessible conductive parts. Generally, insulation testing is carried out by applying a known test voltage (500 V DC) and measuring the resistance. On sensitive equipment (IT for example) 500 V may cause damage, and so be unsuitable. Therefore, it may be substituted with a low-voltage (250 V) insulation test, a touch current test or an alternative leakage current test. Appliances must not be touched during an insulation test because, if a fault exists, the exposed metalwork may rise to the test voltage, although this voltage in itself is not dangerous. It is performed using an ohmmeter or portable appliance tester by applying a nominal voltage to the live conductors (active and neutral) of an appliance, and placing 0 volt reference on the earthed parts of a Class I appliance or the external metal parts of a Class II appliance.
The test method varies, depending on whether the appliance is Class I or Class II. For a grounded (Class I) appliance, the insulation test is carried out between the earth pin and the combined live and neutral pins of the plug. Megger PAT testers make these connections for you. A Class II appliance is slightly different as there is no connection to the plug earth pin. This time a connection is made between the combined live and neutral pins and any metal parts or dirty/conductive areas of the casing which may involve several tests. The connection method is the same as that used for the earth bond/continuity return, using the same lead.
Differential Leakage Test
The differential leakage current (also called protective conductor current) test measures the difference in current between the live and neutral conductors and determines if any current is flowing to earth. Normally, appliances should have no, or very little, earth leakage current. Class II (double insulated) appliances could exhibit earth leakage through their mountings or by operator contact. During the test, the actual mains voltage is measured at the appliance socket. To ensure that the equipment is safe even when the mains supply rises to its maximum permitted value, the PAT calculates and displays the leakage current that would flow at this value.
Leakage Current Test
It is performed at rated voltage with values not exceeding 5mA for Class I appliances or 1mA for Class II appliances.
Alternatively, measure insulation resistance values are not less than 1MΩ for Class I and Class II appliances at 500 V d.c. or alternatively, to avoid the equipment apparently failing the test because the metal oxide varistors (MOVs), or electro-magnetic interference (EMI) suppression has triggered, for equipment containing voltage limiting devices such as MOVs, or EMI suppression, at 250 V dc.
Leakage current testing is performed using a PAT by applying a nominal voltage to the live conductors (active and neutral) of an appliance, and placing 0 volt reference on the earthed parts of a Class I appliance or the external metal parts of a Class II appliance.
Load Test
The load test (also called the operational or VA test) measures the power consumption of the equipment when running. Measuring the load (VA) of an appliance is a good indication of its operating condition. By setting a load VA limit in the instrument’s test groups, an appliance can be assessed automatically for excessive load. The load VA limit is usually set based on the rating plate on the appliance. When using the Megger portable appliance testers, which power up the equipment for you, a functional test is carried out during the “load” test. This test will determine:
If the asset functions correctly
The VA rating of the appliance
The results of this test can be a good indicator of future problems and potential failures in an appliance.
Problems like worn bearings on a drill would probably result in increased current drawn from the supply and therefore an increase in the VA reading. Care should be exercised when electrical…
Polarity Check
In countries where the sockets are polarised, polarity testing is a simple test that can be carried out using a polarity tester to determine whether the active and neutral of the plug end are correctly connected to the corresponding terminals at the socket end
Note: The earth is tested during the earth continuity test. In the UK, as per BS7671, the phase (‘Live’ or ‘Hot’) cable should connect with right hand side terminal of the socket (if we face the socket outlet).
Flash Testing
Flash testing measures the leakage current when high test voltages are applied to an asset. The flash test provides a high ac test voltage (2500 V or 3000 V) and measures the leakage current. This test can be destructive and is usually only used on equipment that has been repaired. It is not generally used for “in-service testing” of electrical equipment.
Labelling
Any equipment that requires visual examination and electrical testing must be clearly labelled. The label must consist of a unique identifier for the equipment, the date it was tested, the re-test date and an indication of its state. A failed asset does not need the dates on, just clear identification that it has failed. Labels may either be filled in by hand or printed. Printed labels often consist of a bar code for the identifier making them easy to read with a suitable barcode scanner. This is a great time saver with an instrument that supports it such as the PAT400 Series by Megger. Labels should be manufactured so they can…
Documentation
The following records should be established and maintained:
A register of all equipment
A record of formal and combined visual examinations and electrical tests
A register of all faulty equipment
A repair register
All of these records can be stored on paper or electronically, as long as reasonable precautions are taken with regard to the safeguarding of the data. Whichever method is chosen, previous test results must be available to the test operative. Our company maintains the following paper or electronic records Copy of the formal visual examination and combined visual examination and electrical test results and register of all equipment repaired.
Report
On completion of the testing you will be issued with a safety certificate and a detailed report that provides information on each individual item. All items that pass the inspection & testing will be labelled with a safety sticker and a unique barcode number that helps us keep track of all portable appliances in your company.
Published by Hyong Sik Kim, Dylan Dah-Chuan Lu, School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Email: hkim4210@uni.sydney.edu.au
Smart Grid and Renewable Energy, 2010, 1, 119-131 doi:10.4236/sgre.2010.13017 Published Online November 2010 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/sgre). Received October 20th, 2010; revised November 14th, 2010; accepted November 20th, 2010.
ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on the wind energy conversion system (WECS) with the three main electrical aspects: 1) wind turbine generators (WTGs), 2) power electronics converters (PECs) and 3) grid-connection issues. The current state of wind turbine generators are discussed and compared in some criteria along with the trends in the current WECS market, which are ‘Variable Speed’, ‘Multi-MW’ and ‘Offshore’. In addition, the other crucial component in the WECS, PECs will be discussed with its topologies available in the current WECS market along with their modulation strategies. Moreover, three main issues of the WECS associating with the grid-connection, fault-ride through (FRT) capability, harmonics/interharmonics emission and flicker, which are the power quality issues, will be discussed due to the increasing responsibility of WECS as utility power station. Some key findings from the review such as the attractiveness of BDFRG are presented in the conclusion of this paper.
Keywords: Wind Energy, Wind Turbine Generators, Power Electronic Converters, Grid Connection, Brushless, Reluctance, Pulse-Width Modulation, Fault Ride Through Capability, Voltage Dip, Harmonics, Flicker, Power Quality, BDFRG
1.Introduction
Green house gas reduction has been one of the crucial and inevitable global challenges, especially for the last two decades as more evidences on global warming have been reported. This has drawn increasing attention to renewable energies including wind energy, which is regarded as a relatively mature technology [1]. It recorded 159 GW for the total wind energy capacities in 2009, which is the highest capacity among the existing renewable energy sources with excluding large-scale hydro power generators as shown in Figure 1 [2].
Figure 1. World renewable energy capacities in 2009 (based on [2]).
Also, its annual installation growth rate marked 31.7% in 2009 with its growth rate having been increasing for the last few years, which indicates that wind energy is one of the fastest growing and attractive renewable energy sources [3]. The increasing price competitiveness of wind energy against other conventional fossil fuel energy sources such as coal and natural gas is another positive indication on wind energy [4]. Therefore, a vast amount of researches on WECS have been and is being undertaken intensively.
WECS consists of three major aspects; aerodynamic, mechanical and electrical as shown in Figure 2. The electrical aspect of WECS can further be divided into three main components, which are wind turbine generators (WTGs), power electronic converters (PECs) and the utility grid.
Figure 2. Wind energy conversion system (based on [5,6]).
There are many review papers on those electrical aspects available; however, there seem small amount of investigation and discussion on some newer concepts of WGTs as well as PECs along with its modulation strategies. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to review these three important electrical aspects of WECS with some of the newer concepts for WTGs, PECs with their modulation strategies, and some of the grid connection issues that have risen as the penetration of wind energy on the utility grid has been increasing rapidly in the last few years [4].
The structure of this paper is as follows: wind turbine generators are firstly discussed in Section 2, followed by PECs and their modulation strategies in Section 3. Then, grid connection issues of WECS will be addressed in Section 4. In Section 5, the discussion on these three components is presented and followed by the conclusion in Section 6.
2.Wind Turbine Generators
2.1. Wind Turbine Generators in the Current Market
WTGs can be classified into three types according to its operation speed and the size of the associated converters as below:
FSWT (Fixed Speed Wind Turbine)
VSWT (Variable Speed Wind Turbine) with:
PSFC (partial scale frequency converter)
FSFC (full scale frequency converter)
FSWT including SCIG (Squirrel-Cage Induction Generator), led the market until 2003 when DFIG (Doubly Fed Induction Generator), which is the main concept of VSWT with PSFC, overtook and has been the leading WTG concept with 85% of the market share reported in 2008 [4]. For VSWT with FSFC, WRSG (Wound Rotor Synchronous Generator) has been the main concept; however PMSG (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator) has been drawing more attention and increasing its market share in the past recent years due to the benefits of PMSG and drawbacks of WRSG [7].
Since there is much literature available on these WTG concepts in the market such as [6 13], the following section will only address the two newer concepts of WTGs, which are BDFIG (Brushless Doubly Fed Induction Generator) and BDFRG (Brushless Doubly Fed Reluctance Generator), followed by the discussion with the comparison of them to the existing concepts.
2.2. Two Newer WTG Concepts
2.2.1. BDFIG
BDFIG is one of the most popular VSWT with PSFC types in the current research area due to its inherited characteristics of DFIG, which is the most popular WTG type at the current market, along with its brushless aspect that DFIG do not possess. As shown in Figure 3, BDFIG consists of two cascaded induction machines; one is for the generation and the other is for the control in order to eliminate the use of sliprings and brushes, which are the main drawback of DFIG.
Figure 3. The conceptual diagram of BDFIG.
This brushless aspect increases its reliability, which is especially desirable in offshore application [14,15]. Other advantages are reported in [6,16,17] including its capability with low operation speed. On the other hand, BDFIG has relatively complex aspects in its design, assembly and control, which are some of the main disadvantages of BDFIG [8].
2.2.2. BDFRG
There is also another brushless and two-cascaded-stator concept of VSWT with PSFC type in the research area, which is BDFRG. As shown in Figure 4, one distinct design compared with BDFIG is its reluctance rotor, which is usually an iron rotor without copper windings, which has lower cost than wound rotor or PM (permanent magnet) rotor.
Figure 4. The conceptual diagram of BDFRG.
This design offers some advantages on top of the advantages of BDFIG including higher efficiency, easier construction and control including power factor control capability as well as the cost reduction and higher reliability including its “fail-safe” operating mode due to its reluctance rotor [18-21]. Due to its very high reliability, reluctance generators have also been of interest in aircraft industry where design challenges such as harsh environment operation and stringent reliability exist [22, 23]. On the other hand, some of the drawbacks for BDFRG exist such as complexity of rotor deign, its larger machine size due to a lower torque-volume ratio and so forth [20,24,25].
2.3. Comparison of WTG Concepts
The advantages and disadvantages of the six concepts, the four existing in the current market and the two newer concepts discussed in the previous section are summarised in Table 1 [6-21,24,25].
Based on the information in Table 1, Table 2 represents a comparison of those six concepts with respect to the five criteria; energy yield, cost, reliability, grid support ability and technical maturity. For energy yield, PMSG has the highest rating followed by the other VSWT concepts and SCIG has the lowest energy yield with 10-15% lower value than PMSG [26] due to its fix speed aspect. However, SCIG has the lowest cost followed by BDFRG, and WRSG has the highest cost due to its large size wound machine. It is interesting when ‘energy yield per cost’ is considered based on the estimated levels on energy yield and cost in Table 2. The highest value is achieved by neither PMSG nor SCIG; BDFRG achieves the highest estimated levels on ‘energy yield per cost’, which is supported in [19]. Reliability is closely related to the existence of brushes and sliprings, which is the main drawback of DFIG. The reason BDFIG is rated as ‘Medium-High’ despite of its brushless aspect is because it is new and has design complexity, which brings down reliability as the case of the newer German WTGs compared with older Danish WTGs reported in [12]. On the other hand, BDFRG is rated as ‘High’ despite of that it is as new concept as BDFIG. It is because of the ‘fail-safe’ characteristic of BDFRG, which enables its robust operation in spite of the failure on its inverter or secondary stator. Grid support ability is affected mainly by the size of the converter and the stator connection. VSWT with FSFC has high support ability due to its full scale frequency converter. In the case of DFIG, with PSFC, it can only provide limited support to the grid due to its directly connected stator that absorbs the effect of grid fault without any mitigation. It is reported that BDFIG and BDFRG have improved characteristics under grid fault [16] and for grid support ability [19] respectively. Lastly, the maturity of the technology is straightforward as shown in Table 2 because SCIG, DFIG and WRSG have been developed for more than a couple of decades followed by PMSG. As mentioned before, BDFIG and BDFRG are newer concept and therefore more researches are needed in order to increase its technical maturity and hence to be applicable in the industry.
Table 1. The advantages and disadvantages of the six WTG concepts.
Generator Concept (Type)
Advantages
Disadvantages
SCIG (FSWT)
• Easier to design, construct and control • Robust operation • Low cost
• Low energy yield • No active/reactive power controllability • High mechanical stress • High losses on gear
PMSG (VSWT-FSPC)
• Highest energy yield • Higher active/reactive power controllability • Absence of brush/slipring • Low mechanical stress • No copper loss on rotor
• High cost of PM material • Demagnetisation of PM • Complex construction process • Higher cost on PEC • Higher losses on PEC • Large size
WRSG (VSWT-FSPC)
• High energy yield • Higher active/reactive power controllability • Absence of brush/slipring • Low mechanical stress
• Higher cost of copper winding • Higher cost on PEC • Higher losses on PEC • Large size
DFIG (VSWT-PSPC)
• High energy yield • High active/reactive power controllability • Lower cost on PEC • Lower losses by PEC • Less mechanical stress • Compact size
• Existence of brush/slipring • High losses on gear
BDFIG (VSWT-PSPC)
• Higher energy yield • High active/reactive power controllability • Lower cost on PEC • Lower losses by PEC • Absence of brush/slipring • Less mechanical stress • Compact size
• Early technical stage • Complex controllability, design and assembly • High losses on gear
BDFRG (VSWT-PSPC)
• Higher energy yield • High active/reactive power controllability • Lower cost on PEC • Lower losses by PEC • Absence of brush/slipring • No copper loss on rotor • Less mechanical stress • Easier construction
• Early technical stage • Complex controllability and rotor design • High losses on gear • Larger size than DFIG
Table 2. The comparison of the six different WTG concepts.
Generator Concept
Energy Yield
Cost
Reliability
Grid Support Ability
Technical Maturity
SCIG
Low
Low
High
Low
High
PMSG
High
Medium-High
High
High
Medium-High
WRSG
Medium-High
High
High
High
High
DFIG
Medium-High
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
BDFIG
Medium-High
Medium
Medium-High
Medium-High
Low
BDFRG
Medium-High
Low-Medium
High
Medium-High
Low
2.4. Discussion on WTGs
As observed previously, there has been ‘variable speed’ trend in the WT market due to its greater energy yield along with other advantages and will be so in the future with DFIG and PMSG leading the market base on the various data and literature [4,8,9,27]. The two newer concepts, BDFIG and BDFRG are also in line with this trend.
Another distinct trend is offshore wind energy. It is reported that offshore wind resource has higher quality in terms of its availability and constancy, and higher spatial availability than onshore wind resource, which makes offshore wind very attractive [28]. However, there exist great technical challenges on its construction and maintenance, because of its geological accessibility that greatly depends on the weather condition, which is an unpredictable external factor. Due to this reason, offshore wind has only 1.2% of the world’s total installed wind energy share (onshore and offshore) at the current market [3] and is reported to cost 1.5-2 times more than equal-size onshore wind application [29]. As discussed previously, DFIG is less attractive for offshore application due to its pre-planned maintenance for brush and sliprings whereas PMSG, BDFIG and BDFRG are more attractive due to its brushless aspect. BDFRG is especially attractive for its reliability due to its reluctance rotor as discussed previously. Although offshore wind has low level of installation at the present, the growth rate was reported to be 30% in 2009 and is expected to continue to grow [3,28].
Lastly, ‘Multi-MW’ trend is also observed at the current wind turbine market [4,9,27] due to the fact that larger power station has lower cost per kWh. The size of the turbine in the current market has gone up to 5-6 MW or even greater [27], supported by the increased technical level in design and construction. In terms of the cost of the material, DFIG and BDFRG are preferable over PMSG and BDFIG for this trend since PM material in PMSG is costly, and BDFIG has a wound rotor with the two wound cascaded stator, which has greater amount of windings than DFIG or BDFRG.
3.Power Electronic Converters
3.1. Topology of Power Electronic Converters
As the amount of the installed VSWT increased, so has the importance of PECs in WECS since it is the interface between WTGs and the electrical grid [1,11,30]. There are three types of converters widely available in the current wind energy market: Back-to-back PWM converter, multilevel converter and matrix converter.
3.1.1. Back-to-back PWM Converters
Back-to-back PWM converter, which is also referred as ‘two-level PWM converter’, is the most conventional type among the PEC types for VSWT. As shown in Figure 5, it consists of two PWM-VSIs (voltage source inverters) and a capacitor in between. This capacitor is often referred as a ‘DC link capacitor’ or ‘decoupling capacitor’ since it provides a separate control in the inverters on the two sides, which are ‘machine’ and ‘grid’ side. In addition, it has lower cost due to its maturity [12].
Figure 5. Basic schematics of Back-to-Back PWM converter (based on [12]).
However, the DC link capacitor also becomes the main drawback of the PWM converter because it decreases the overall lifetime of the system [31]. There are other disadvantages including switching losses and emission of high frequency harmonics, which results in additional cost in EMI-filters [1,12].
3.1.2. Multilevel Converters
Compared with two-level PWM converter, multilevel (ML) converter has three or more voltage levels, which results in lower total harmonic distortion (THD) than back-to-back PWM converter does [32]. In addition, ML converter offers higher voltage and power capability, which advocates the trend of ‘Multi-MW’ wind turbine [1,33]. Another advantage is that switching losses are smaller in ML converter than two-level PWM converter by 25% [34].
One of the disadvantages on ML converter is the voltage imbalance caused by the DC link capacitors [35,36]. Another disadvantage in some ML converter designs is uneven current stress on the switches due to its circuit design characteristic. The cost associated with the high more number of switches and the complexity of control are two other drawbacks.
Since the first proposed design of ML converter, the neutral-point clamped three-level converter in 1981 [36,37], there have been various designs for ML converters including the followings [33,35,36,38]:
Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) ML converter
Cascade Half-Bridge (CHB) ML converter
Fly-capacitor (FLC) ML converter
The detail of each design, which is beyond the scope of this paper, can be found in the literatures [33,35,36,38].
Out of these three ML converter designs, NPC ML converter is commonly utilised in WECS, especially in multi-MW scale WECS, due to its maturity and advantages [36,39]. Main drawback exists, however, with 3LNPC (3 level-NPC) design, which is the uneven loss distribution among the semiconductor devices, limiting output power of the converter [40,41]. This drawback has been overcome with the replacement of the clamping diode with the active switching devices. This modified design of NPC is referred as ‘Active NPC’ (ANPC), which was first introduced in 2001 [41,42], as shown in Figure 6. There are many advantages of ANPC including higher power rating than normal NPC by 14% [40] and robustness against the fault condition [43].
Figure 6. One inverter cell of (a) NPC and (b) ANPC (based on [12,36]).
3.1.3. Matrix Converters
Matrix converters have a distinct difference from the previous two converters in a way that it is an AC-AC converter without any DC conversion in between, which indicates the absence of passive components such as the DC link capacitor and inductor in the converter design. As shown in Figure 7, the typical design of matrix converters consists of 9 semi-conductors that are controlled with two control rules to protect the converter; three switches in a common output leg must not be turned on at the same time and the connection of all the three output phases must be made to an input phase constantly [12]. There are some advantages of matrix converters. The absence of DC link capacitor results in increased efficiency and overall life time of the converter as well as the reduced size and cost compared with PWM-VSI converter [4,44]. The thermal characteristic of the matrix converter is also another advantage since it can operate at the temperature up to 300°C, which enables to adopt new technologies such as high temperature silicon carbide devices [44]. On the other hand, some of the reported disadvantages include; the limitation on the output voltage (86% of the input voltage), its sensitivity to the grid disturbances and rapid change of the input voltage, higher conducting losses and higher cost of the switch components than PWM-VSI converter [12,32]. Further technical details of matrix converter can be found in [44].
Figure 7. Basic schematics of matrix converter (based on [12,45]).
3.1.4. Discussion on PEC
In this section, the PECs will be discussed with the criteria such as their power loss, loss distribution, efficiency, harmonic performance and cost.
In terms of power losses, it is widely reported that ML VSCs have less power losses than 2L VSIs with 3-Level Neutral Point Clamped VSIs (3L-NPC) having even lower amount of losses over 3-Level Flying Capacitor VSIs (3L-FLC) [46-48]. This advantage of 3L-NPC, however, inherits poor power loss distribution, which is the main drawback of 3L-NPC as mentioned previously.
Loss distribution is an important aspect in PEC since uneven loss distribution means uneven stress distribution among the semiconductor devices and this results the most stressed switching device to limit the total output power and switching frequency [49]. In [46,47], uneven loss distribution of 3L-NPC is reported along with other topologies such as 2L-VSI and 3L-FLC, which have even distribution. As mentioned previously, ANPC is the topology to reduce the unevenness among the switching devices and it is reported that 3L ANPC possess an advantage of 3L-FLC on its natural doubling of switching frequency, without flying-capacitors [50].
Harmonic performance is another crucial criterion of PEC, especially for WECS as the impact of WECS on power quality of the power grid is increasing due to its increasing penetration level. The comparison on harmonic performance is commonly measured by total harmonic distortion (THD) or weighted THD (WTHD). A comparison on THD of 2L-VSI, 3L-NPC and matrix converter with PMSG is undertaken in [51] and 3L-NPC provides the lowest value of THD among the three topologies. This result verifies that THD decreases with increasing number of levels [46].
Different PEC topologies consist of components with variable numbers and sizes that result variation in cost. Although 2L-VSI has less number of components compare to ML VSIs, it is estimated to be more costly due to its large LC filter, which is the result of compromise for high efficiency and low THD that ML can achieve with smaller LC filter [47,48]. Matrix converters would lie in between 2L VSIs and 3L VSIs since it has smaller number of semiconductors and LC filters are required to minimise the switching frequency harmonics [52]. The cost estimation would be similar for both 3L-NPC and 3L-FLC since the excessive cost for the larger LC filter and semiconductors would be compensated with the cost for flying capacitors by considering the cost estimation in [47] with the constant switching frequency. In [53], comparison between 3L-ANPC and 3L-NPC is conducted with different IGBT ratings available in the market. In the literature, it is found that 3L-NPC is most economical (i.e. lest cost per MVA) with 2.3 kV IGBT modules at any switching frequency between 300 Hz to 1050 Hz. However, 3L-ANPC becomes more cost-effective with 3.3 kV and 4.16 kV at switching frequency over 750 Hz.
In summary, it is evident that 3L-ANPC is a very attractive PEC topology for WECS, which is increasing its power rating, operates with high switching frequency (typically 2~5 kHz [47,51,54-57]) and requires low harmonic emission.
3.2. Modulation Methods
Along with the converter topologies, there are some modulation strategies available to produce a desired level of output voltage and current in lower frequency. Pulsewidth modulation (PWM) is one of the most widely used modulation strategies for PEC with AC output, hence, this section will focus on PWM schemes for ML converters.
While the primary goal of PWM is to produce a targeted low-frequency output voltage or current, it is also essential for PWM schemes to minimise the impact on the quality of the output signals such as harmonic distortion.
Among the vast amount of proposed PWM schemes, majority of them can be categorised into the following three types despite of different converter topologies [33,36,53]:
Carrier-Based PWM
Space Vector Modulation (SVM)
Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE)
These three PWM strategies will be explained in detail on the next section.
3.2.1. Carrier-Based PWM
Carrier-based PWM strategy has been widely utilised as the basic logic of generating the switching states is simple. The basic principle is to compare a low frequency sinusoidal reference voltages to high frequency carrier signals, then produce the switching states every time the reference signal intersects carrier signals. The number of carrier signals is defined as (N-1), where N is the number of the level of multi-level VSI (eg. N = 3 for 3-Level NPC VSI) [58].
The basic control diagram and modulation signals of 3-Level VSI are represented in Figure 8.
Figure 8. (a) Control diagram, (b) Modulation signal (sources from [36]).
From the conventional schemes, there are some modified techniques proposed with multi level or multi-phase methods in order to reduce distortion in ML inverters [59]. Basic concepts of those are shown in Figure 9.
Space vector modulation (SVM) is the PWM method based on the space vector concept with d-q transformation that is widely utilised in AC machines. With the development of microprocessors, it has become one of the most widely used PWM strategies for three phase converters due to some of its advantages including high voltage availability, low harmonics, simple digital implementation and wide linear modulation range, which is one of the main aims of PWM [4,47,60].
There are N3 switching states in N-level PWM inverter so in the case of 3-Level NPC VSI, there are 27 (= 33) possible switching states. As shown in Figure 10, these switching states define reference vectors, which are represented by the 19 nodes in the diagram with the four classification of ‘zero’ (V0), ‘small’ (VSi), ‘medium’ (VMi) and ‘large’ (VLi), where i = 1,2,…,6 [61]. The difference between the numbers of the switching states and space vectors indicate that there is redundancy of switching states existing for some space vectors. As indicated in Figure 10, one ‘zero’ space vector (i.e. V0) can be generated by three different switching states and six ‘small’ space vector (i.e. VSi) by two different switching states each. These redundancies provide some benefits including balancing the capacitor voltages in 3L-NPC VSI [36].
Figure 10. Normalised space vector diagram for the threelevel NPC converter (based on [61]).
The basic principle of SVM is to select three nearest vectors that consist of a triangle in the space vector diagram that the tip of a desired reference vector is located, and generate PWM according to the switching states of those selected vectors. There are many researches on SVM to improve on various aspects such as the improvement in neutral point (NP) balancing at higher modulation indexes [62] and the reduction of the size of DC-link in control loop for renewable application such as WECS [63].
3.2.3. Selective Harmonic Elimination
The basic principle is to calculate N number of switching angles that are less than π/2 for a N-Level inverter through N number of the nonlinear equation with Fourier expansion of output voltage [64]. One equation is used to control the fundamental frequency through the modulation index and the other N-1 equations are used for elimination of the low order harmonics components [59]. In the case of 3-Level VSI, 5th and 7th harmonic components are the two lowest-order harmonics to be eliminated since 3rd harmonic component is cancelled by the nature of three-phase [53]. Figure 11 depicts an example of the 3-Level SHE with 3 switching angles, a1, a2 & a3 [36].
Figure 11. 3-level SHE (Source from [36]).
It is well-known that SHE strategy provides good harmonic performance in spite of the low switching frequency due to its harmonic elimination nature [53,65]. Another advantage is the reduction on its switching loss due to the low switching frequency [36]. However, there are some disadvantages exist including its heavy computational cost and narrow modulation range [59,65]. There are many researches on SHE such as NP balancing for 3L NPC [36] and the increase of the number of eliminating low-order harmonics with simple in formulation [66].
3.2.4. Discussion on Modulation Method
Among the three modulation methods discussed above, CB-PWM [67-70] and SVM [32,56,71-74] are widely utilised in WECS. However, SHE strategy has not been utilised in WECS to the best knowledge of the author despite of its active researches with resent PEC technologies such as 5-Level ANPC VSI [75]. The authors in [53] suggest the combination of using 2L SVM and SHE schemes for the switching frequency fsw ≤ 500 Hz whereas the combination of 2L SVM and 3L SVM for fsw >500 Hz due to their performances with respect to the modulation index and switching frequency. This could be one reason for SHE schemes not to be utilised in WECS where high switching frequency is used.
However, if the reason of high switching frequency in WECS is for the quality of output power, lower switching frequency can be adapted with SHE strategy in WECS for high quality of output power. This would increase the efficiency of WECS due to less switching losses and also this will reduce a cost of filter circuits since the size of the filter would be smaller with the nature of harmonic elimination of SHE.
4.Issues on Grid-Connection
4.1. The Utility Grid and WECS
In the utility grid, some grid disturbances such as voltage dips often occur. In the past, grid connected wind turbines needed to be disconnected from the grid when such disturbances happened in order to protect themselves from damages. However, as the penetration level of wind energy has been increasing, especially in the last decade, the role of WECS on the grid has been transforming from minor power source to main power supply stations such as coal-fired power stations along with the new grid codes. Fault Ride Through (FRT) capability under voltage dip is one of the main focus of the new grid codes that came into effect by the German utility company, E.ON, in Germany in 2004 [4] and in other countries [76]. Another focus of the new grid code is the requirement for wind turbines to support the power quality control on the grid such as voltage/frequency stability control, active/reactive power regulation, harmonics/interharmonics emission and flicker emission and so forth [77-79]. International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has also released standards on power quality for gridconnected wind turbines, which are IEC 61400-21 in 2001 and its second edition in 2008 [80].
The following section will discuss three grid-connection issues that are most frequently reported and investigated in wind energy field, which are voltage dip, harmonic emission and flicker.
4.2. The Three Main Issues in Grid-Connected WECS
4.2.1. Voltage Dip
Voltage dip, also referred as voltage sag, is a phenomenon that the voltage of the grid drops below the normal rms level (down to 0.1-0.9 p.u.) for a short duration (typically 0.5 30 cycles) [81,82]. It is a critical issue for wind turbines because the voltage dip can initiate abnormal behaviours in the generator and PEC, which can result in permanent damages [83]. Therefore it is regarded as a significant technical challenge for wind turbine manufacturers [81]. Under the new grid codes, wind turbines are expected to have reasonable FRT capability, which is to support the grid under the voltage dip as well as to protect themselves from being damaged. Figure 12 represents a typical FRT capability curve by E.ON [84]. Wind turbine must stay connected until the state (i.e. voltage-time) is placed below the solid line in the figure in order to support the grid. There have been various attempts on FRT capability including crowbar protection, GSC and MSC controllability, and so forth, and further details on FRT capability can be found in the literatures [16,83,85-88].
Figure 12. The FRT capability curve (source from E.ON Nets [84]).
4.2.2. Harmonic Emission
Harmonic emission is another crucial issue for gridconnected wind turbines because it may result in voltage distortion and torque pulsations, which consequently causes overheating in the generator and other problems [89]. Although wind turbines emit low-order harmonics by nature, self-commutated converters used in modern VSWTs can filter out this low-order harmonics. However, these self-commutated converters introduce high-order harmonics instead. In addition, interharmonics, which is non-integer harmonics [90], is another type of harmonic emission by WTCSs [91]. It contributes to the level of the flicker and has an interference with control and protection signals in power lines [92], which are regarded as the most harmful effects on the power system.
Wind turbine power quality standard IEC 61400-21 2nd edition released in 2008, along with harmonic measurement standard IEC 61000-4-7, provides the requirements for on current harmonics, current interharmonics and higher current components to be measured and reported in modern WECSs [80,93,94].
4.2.3. Flicker
Flicker is another issue on wind turbine associated with the grid. Flicker is defined as a measure of annoyance of flickering light bulbs on human, caused by active and reactive power fluctuation as a result of the rapid change in wind speed [89]. The standard IEC 61400-21 [93] requires flicker to be monitored in two operation modes; continuous operation and switching operation. The switching operation is the condition of cut-in and cut-out by wind turbine. It is reported that flicker is relatively less critical issue in VSWT; however, it needs to be improved for higher power quality. Further technical details can be found in [80,89,93].
5.Discussion
The onshore wind is the majority with the share of 98.8% of the current wind turbine market, in which 85% is utilising DFIG concept [3]. However, offshore wind has been gaining more and more attention due to its rich wind resource and hence, more researches are intensively being undertaken on offshore wind. Therefore, future wind turbine market is expected to have more number of offshore wind turbines with the brushless design such as PMSG, BDFIG and especially BDFRG, due to its high reliability as discussed previously. ‘Multi-MW’ trend is also observed and BDFRG seems to have favourable characteristic for this trend among the brushless WTG designs because of its reluctance rotor. The trend also affects on the design of PECs, resulting in the preference of ML converter, especially ANPC, due to its higher voltage capability, reduced switching losses and its cost effectiveness with IGBT modules with higher voltage rating. The increased concerns on harmonics, which is one of the discussed grid-connection issues, also make ML converter more attractive than other PEC topologies due to its lower harmonics emission. BDFRG is also reported to have lower harmonic emission to the grid, making this technology greatly suitable to meet the demand of the current and the future wind energy market [19].
6.Conclusions
This paper has reviewed the three major aspects of WECS from electrical perspective; wind turbine generators (WTGs), power electrical converters (PECs) and grid-connection issues with the comparison of the six WTG types in five criteria, the discussion of the three PECs in four criteria along with three available PWM strategies and the three current market trends, ‘Variable Speed’, ‘Multi-MW’ and ‘Offshore’.
One of the key findings of this review paper is that the newer concepts, BDFIG and BDFRG have great potential to come into the WECS market in the current and future wind energy market due to their attractive characteristics in line with the current trends of the wind energy market. Also, those newer generator concepts are reported to possess some benefits on grid-connection issues; however, there are currently few researches being undertaken. Hence, there need to be more researches on them with grid connection issues.
In terms of PECs, ANPC multilevel converter seems very attractive with the increasing wind turbine power rating and its characteristic with the grid. With PWM strategies for PECs, SVM appear to be widely utilised in WECS. It is found that SHE, which is another PWM strategy, has not appeared to be utilised in WECS despite of its benefits for power quality. Therefore, WECS with SHE seems to be another area that need to be investigated in the future.
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Published by Mirus International Inc., [2010-01-08] MIRUS-FAQ001-B2, FAQ’s Harmonic Mitigating Transformers, 31 Sun Pac Blvd., Brampton, Ontario, Canada. L6S 5P6.
Delta-wye transformers, even those with a high K-factor rating, generally present high impedance to the flow of harmonic currents created by the non-linear loads. Question 8 showed that the non-linear loads are current sources that push the harmonic currents through the impedances of the system. Any voltage drop across the impedance of the transformer at other than the fundamental frequency (60 Hz) is a component of voltage distortion.
Because of its higher impedance to harmonic currents, the voltage distortion at the output of a delta-wye transformer often reaches the 5% maximum voltage distortion limit recommended by IEEE Std. 519-1992 by the time that the secondary side load has reached just one-half of full-load RMS current. At closer to full-load, these transformers can produce critically high levels of voltage distortion and flat-topping at their outputs and at the downstream loads.
To minimize the voltage distortion rise due to the transformer itself, Harmonic Mitigating Transformers (HMTs) are designed to reduce the impedance seen by the harmonic currents. This is accomplished through zero sequence flux cancellation and through phase shifting – a combined strategy pioneered by MIRUS. The secondary winding configuration of the HMT cancels the zero sequence fluxes (those produced by the 3rd, 9th, 15th (triplen) current harmonics) without coupling them to the primary windings. This prevents the triplen current harmonics from circulating in the primary windings as they do in a delta-wye transformer. The flux cancellation also results in much lower impedance to the zero sequence currents and hence lower voltage distortion at these harmonics. In addition, the reduced primary winding circulating current will lower losses and allow the transformer to run cooler.
The remaining major harmonics (5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 17th & 19th) are treated to varying degrees through the introduction of phase shifts in the various HMT models.
Single output HMTs are offered in 0° and 30° models to provide upstream cancellation of 5th, 7th, 17th and 19th harmonic currents on the primary feeder.
In a dual output HMT, 5th, 7th, 17th and 19th harmonic current fluxes are cancelled by the 30° phase shift between the secondary windings so that only residual amounts of 5th, 7th, 17th, and 19th current harmonics will be found in the primary side windings.
A three output HMT is configured such that the relative phase shift between the three sets of secondary windings will cancel 5th, 7th, 11th and 13th harmonic fluxes without coupling them to the primary windings.
Harmonics and Harmonic Mitigating Transformers (HMT’s) Questions and Answers
This document has been written to provide answers to the more frequently asked questions we have received regarding harmonics and the Harmonic Mitigating Transformer technology used to address them. This information will be of interest to both those experienced in harmonic mitigation techniques and those new to the problem of harmonics. For additional information visit our Website at www.mirusinternational.com.