Impact of High VRE Penetration on the Transient Stability of Rajasthan Power System in India

Modern power systems with very high penetration of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) sources may face several issues such as reduced inertia and instability. There has been significant renewable energy capacity addition in the Indian Power System in recent years. Rajasthan is one of the renewable-rich states in India where multiple large-capacity RE plants (mostly PV solar) are being pooled at EHV/UHV stations. The generation getting pooled at these UHV stations is evacuated through long-distance transmission lines. This paper presents a case study to analyze the impact of large-scale renewable energy penetration in Rajasthan on the transient stability of the system. The network of the IBR-dominated state of Rajasthan in India is modelled in detail and the system's behaviour is studied under various faults at different locations under both active and reactive power priority modes of operation of the RE plants. The severity of large contingencies on the RE complex of Rajasthan is studied and suitable measures for improvement of the transient stability of the region are explored. The paper also draws inferences from the simulation studies and attempts to correlate them with the real-time experiences observed during large grid events that have taken place in the complex in the recent past.