Improved dynamic voltage control based on network sensitivity characteristics

The changing nature of power systems driven by the massive integration of renewable resources via power electronic converters presents unforeseen AC voltage control challenges, which need a solid foundation to be effectively analyzed and mitigated. This paper exploits the power sensitivity characteristics captured by a generalization of the power flow Jacobian including small-signal dynamics in the frequency domain for passivity-based AC voltage control analysis. The passivity requirements in terms of voltage control are naturally understood from a power system operations perspective and exemplified for different technologies. Subsequently, the passivity approach is applied to fundamentally explain how the inclusion of more voltage-controlling units affects the overall AC voltage dynamics. In addition, we propose a new coordinated voltage control design offering improved dynamic performance and stability properties, which is demonstrated for a test case with high penetration of converters. The proposed approach represents a step forward in the topic of AC voltage control design for rapidly evolving power systems with frequent addition of new power electronic-interfaced resources.