Integrating a Wave Farm into an Isolated Power System with Energy Storage Systems: Analysis of Frequency Stability and Renewable Energy Penetration

Integrating non-dispatchable renewable energy sources (RES) such as wave farms into electric power systems presents inherent challenges. Specifically, the variability of the resource and its non-dispatchable) nature introduces power imbalances and power system stability problems in the system over both short and medium terms. This issue is particularly relevant for isolated power systems, such as those found on several European islands, where interconnection with the mainland is lacking. Therefore, although wave energy has significant potential for integration into island power systems due to resource availability, determining the maximum RES penetration that such systems can sustain while maintaining stability is not straightforward. Power system stability is closely tied to frequency. A well-established solution for improving the stability of isolated systems when integrating non-dispatchable RES is to install devices capable of responding to over- or under-frequency events, such as energy storage systems (ESS). The literature extensively discusses ESS control techniques for frequency regulation, with one of the most straightforward approaches being to operate the ESS according to a droop control strategy (similar to a statism). In this method, the power dispatched or stored by the ESS increases proportionally to the deviation from the frequency reference value. This paper presents a case study analyzing the frequency stability of an island power system equipped with an energy storage system (ESS) when integrating a wave farm. Frequency stability is evaluated based on two variables: wave energy penetration and the ESS droop control parameter. The case study is based on the island of El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain), an isolated electrical system with a very high penetration of RES. The island’s electrical generation system consists of a wind farm, a pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant, and conventional generation from a diesel power plant. The analysis is conducted through simulations in MATLAB Simulink. A wave farm is modeled to evaluate the generated power and its associated oscillations, based on the wave energy resource at various locations along El Hierro’s coast. Additionally, an aggregated inertial dynamic model of the electrical power system is employed to assess the impact of the wave energy farm's generation on the system’s frequency and the aging that the frequency excursions introduce in the elements of the system. The Spanish Grid Code is considered to ensure compliance with frequency regulation mechanisms in isolated systems. Simulations are performed across different scenarios, varying both the nominal power of the wave farm and the ESS droop control parameter, in order to evaluate the ESS capacity. The results identify the optimal droop control parameter for each wave farm size to ensure frequency remains within acceptable thresholds. Furthermore, the minimum ESS capacity required for each wave farm size is determined from the simulations. These findings provide a basis for ESS and wave farm dimensioning, which could be translated into economic terms to maximize revenue (this aspect is beyond the scope of the present work).