Multilevel STATCOM with power intensive energy storage for dynamic grid stability - frequency and voltage support

The developing political and environmental reforms are driving the rapid evolution of today´s power systems. There is a steady increase in the electrical energy being fed from renewable energy sources like wind and photovoltaic systems while shutting down large thermal power plants. This trend has a major impact on the performance of the electrical power system networks especially with respect to their dynamic behaviour. Phasing out of existing conventional synchronous generators will adversely affect auxiliary services like voltage control and frequency regulation. The paper discusses one of the solutions to cope with these challenges: the use of Modular Multilevel Converter based STATCOM i.e. SVC PLUS^® with power intensive energy storage (SVC PLUS ES) which can significantly contribute to the stable operation of the power system. The successful frequency and voltage support in transmission grids will be presented. Furthermore the design of SVC PLUS ES with supercapacitors as storage technology will be shown.