The integration of large amount of wind power into a power system imposes a new challenge for the secure and economic operation of the system. It is necessary to investigate the impacts of wind power generation on the dynamic behavior of the power system concerned. This paper investigates the impacts of large amount of wind power on small signal stability and the corresponding control strategies to mitigate the negative effects. The concepts of different types of wind turbine generators (WTGs) and the principles of the grid-connected structures of wind power generation systems are first briefly introduced. Then, the state-of-the-art of the studies on the impacts of WTGs on small signal stability as well as potential problems to be studied are clarified. Finally, the control strategies on WTGs to enhance power system damping characteristics are presented.
The well-developed unified power flow controller (UPFC) has demonstrated its capability in providing voltage support and improving power system stability. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the capability of the UPFC in mitigating oscillations in a wind farm integrated power system by employing eigenvalue analysis and dynamic time-domain simulation approaches. For this purpose, a power oscillation damping controller (PODC) of the UPFC is designed for damping oscillations caused by disturbances in a given interconnected power system, including the change in tie-line power, the changes of wind power outputs, and others. Simulations are carried out for two sample power systems, i.e., a four-machine system and an eight-machine system, for demonstration. Numerous eigenvalue analysis and dynamic time-domain simulation results confirm that the UPFC equipped with the designed PODC can effectively suppress oscillations of power systems under various disturbance scenarios.