The energy storage system (ESS) is developing into a very important element for the stable operation of power systems. An ESS is characterized by rapid control, free charging, and discharging. Because of these characteristics, it can efficiently respond to sudden events that affect the power system and can help to resolve congested lines caused by the excessive output of distributed generators (DGs) using renewable energy sources (RESs). In order to efficiently and economically install new ESSs in the power system, the following two factors must be considered: the optimal installation placements and the optimal sizes of ESSs. Many studies have explored the optimal installation placement and the sizing of ESSs by using analytical approaches, mathematical optimization techniques, and artificial intelligence. This paper presents an algorithm to determine the optimal installation placement and sizing of ESSs for a virtual multi-slack (VMS) operation based on a power sensitivity analysis in a stand-alone microgrid. Through the proposed algorithm, the optimal installation placement can be determined by a simple calculation based on a power sensitivity matrix, and the optimal sizing of the ESS for the determined placement can be obtained at the same time. The algorithm is verified through several case studies in a stand-alone microgrid based on practical power system data. The results of the proposed algorithm show that installing ESSs in the optimal placement could improve the voltage stability of the microgrid. The sizing of the newly installed ESS was also properly determined.

Converter-based generators (CBGs) that use renewable energy sources (RESs) are replacing traditional aging coal and nuclear power generators. Increasing the penetration of CBGs into the entire power generation process reduces both the inertia constant of the power system and the total amount of power reserves. Additionally, RESs are very intermittent and it is difficult to predict changes in them. These problems, due to CBGs using RESs, pose new challenges to net–load balancing. As a solution, this paper proposes a virtual multi-slack (VMS) droop control that secures the stability and efficiency of system operation by controlling the output of CBGs distributed in various regions. The VMS droop control makes it possible to increase the inertia constant of the power system and to respond quickly and appropriately to load changes through the proposed VMS droop control based on power sensitivity. It is also proposed that the process selects proper power reserves of CBGs for stable VMS droop control. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed VMS droop control and the proper power reserve selection method for CBGs, several case studies were performed using a real Korean power system.