Document Type

Thesis - University Access Only

Award Date

2011

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

First Advisor

David W. Galipeau

Abstract

In power systems, the term "islanding" refers to a condition that occurs when V parts of the power system separate from one another to form "islands". Islanding itself is not necessarily a problem, but unintentional islanding could pose a risk to equipment integrity and to personnel safety. Small distributed energy resources (DERs), especially those deployed in the lowest-voltage portions of the power network, are generally not allowed to form islands, and thus all islanding of these resources is unintentional. This condition is not allowed by applicable codes and standards (such as IEEE-1547) and must be detected and prevented. Several anti-islanding methods have been developed, but these are generally effective at low penetration levels and cause problems at high penetration levels. The Wide Area Network (WAN) method was developed by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) as a potential solution to this problem, but it has been investigated and applied only at the transmission level. The objectives of this work were to develop a detailed EMTP-RV model to determine the effectiveness of the WAN method at the distribution level, and to develop recommendations for the method's parameter settings. Detailed computer models of photovoltaic systems, generators, four distribution feeders, and the WAN method itself were built in EMTP-RV, and simulations were conducted to examine the performance of the model in four separate cases. It was found that the WAN method worked well in distribution in all but one case, and optimal parameter settings were recommended.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Distributed generation of electric power -- Safety measures
Wide area networks (Computer networks)
Photovoltaic power systems
Electric power system stability

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright