Fuel Cell System Operation as a Static Synchronous Series Compensator for Power Flow Control in Power Systems

Global pursuit towards net-zero emissions and inherent intermittencies associated with solar PV and wind have paved the way to the utilisation of hydrogen fuel-cell based distributed generation units. The growing integration of renewable energy sources distributed throughout power distribution networks has led to unpredictable power flow patterns, creating challenges for traditional network operations and highlighting the need for effective power flow regulation. In this context, this paper proposes a fuel cell system-based static synchronous series compensator (FC-SSSC) capable of regulating the line flows by altering the line impedance along with the injection of controllable active and reactive power, distinguishing itself from the conventional SSSC. The proposed FC-SSSC addresses the limitations of conventional SSSCs that rely solely on a dc link capacitor for energy storage, which is unsuitable for regulating line flows during long-duration events. Moreover, this paper details the system architecture of the proposed FC-SSSC and validates its theoretical compliance with the conventional SSSC. To validate the proposed work at a system-level considering the distribution network model, an IEEE-13 node test feeder is modeled using MATLAB/Simulink and simulation outcomes are reported for different case scenarios.