This paper proposes a reactive power flow control pursuing the active integration of photovoltaic systems in LV distribution networks. An alternative power flow analysis is performed according to the specific characteristics of LV networks, such as high resistance/reactance ratio and radial topologies. The proposed solution gives high performances, in terms of rmsvoltage regulation, by estimating the reactive power reference on each node considering the influence of the rest of the nodes in terms of active and reactive power demanded/generated by them. The local control of each photovoltaic system is based on the power converter control, interfacing these units with the grid and the loads respectively. The local control is designed on the basis of locally measured feedback variables. Photovoltaic units thus guarantee universal operation, being able to change between islanding-mode and grid-connected mode without disrupting critical loads connected to them, and allowing smooth transitions. Exhaustive results are also included and discussed in this paper. Index Terms-LV radial networks, photovoltaic systems, reactive power control, voltage control. I. INTRODUCTION T HE INCREASED presence of Distributed Generation (DG) in LV networks has considerably modified the expected power flow patterns, being far from classical power system analysis. In this new scenario, where generation and consumption can simultaneously come from Manuscript

This paper presents a new frequency controller for variable speed wind turbines connected to the grid under power imbalance conditions. It is based on the fast power reserve emulation technique, having two different operation modes: overproduction and recovery mode. In the first mode, the active power provided by wind turbines is set over the mechanical power, reducing their rotational speed. This overproduction power is estimated according to the frequency excursion. In the second mode, the active power is established under the mechanical power to recover the initial rotational speed through a smooth trajectory. The power system considered for simulation purposes includes thermal, hydro-power and wind-power plants. The controller proposed has been evaluated under different mix-generation scenarios implemented in Matlab/Simulink. Extensive results and comparison to previous proposals are also included in the paper.

In the past few years, grid-code requirements for grid-connected photovoltaic power plants have experienced a continuous evolution in different countries to ensure a reliable power system operation as the level of renewable energy penetration increases to high levels. According to several European grid-codes, PV power plants must be able to ride through specific and severe disturbances without disconnections. Under this new framework, the present study analyses intensive power quality surveys carried out from 2008 to 2011 in three different Spanish PV power plants: a fixed array installation with 4 MW PV power capacity, a PV power plant including dual axis-trackers with 1 MW PV power capacity, and one more fixed array PV power plant with 5 MW PV power capacity. Voltage dips and supply interruptions have been collected, discussing several methods to characterise the monitored disturbances and to compare these events to current Grid-Code requirements. Furthermore, the time interval around the residual voltage is proposed and defined by the authors as an additional parameter to provide a complete characterisation of the severity of the disturbances. Results from both characterisations of collected data and comparison with current requirements are also included in the study.

An alternative approach for combined frequency control in multi-area power systems with significant wind power plant integration is described and discussed in detail. Demand response is considered as a decentralized and distributed resource by incorporating innovative frequency-sensitive load controllers into certain thermostatically controlled loads. Wind power plants comprising variable speed wind turbines include an auxiliary frequency control loop contributing to increase total system inertia in a combined manner, which further improves the system frequency performance. Results for interconnected power systems show how the proposed control strategy substantially improves frequency stability and decreases peak frequency excursion (nadir) values. The total need for frequency regulation reserves is reduced as well. Moreover, the requirements to exchange power in multi-area scenarios are significantly decreased. Extensive simulations under power imbalance conditions for interconnected power systems are also presented in the paper.

This paper proposes and assesses an integrated solution to monitor and diagnose photovoltaic (PV) solar modules based on a decentralized wireless sensor acquisition system. Both DC electrical variables and environmental data are collected at PV module level using low-cost and high-energy efficiency node sensors. Data is real-time processed locally and compared with expected PV module performances obtained by a PV module model based on symmetrized-shifted Gompertz functions (as previously developed and assessed by the authors). Sensor nodes send data to a centralized sink-computing module using a multi-hop wireless sensor network architecture. Such integration thus provides extensive analysis of PV installations, and avoids off-line tests or post-processing processes. In comparison with previous approaches, this solution is enhanced with a low-cost system and non-critical performance constraints, and it is suitable for extensive deployment in PV power plants. Moreover, it is easily implemented in existing PV installations, since no additional wiring is required. The system has been implemented and assessed in a Spanish PV power plant connected to the grid. Results and estimations of PV module performances are also included in the paper.