Synchronous Generator Governor Response: Performance Implications Under High Share of Inverter-Based Renewable Energy Sources

Inverter-based generation sources' significant uptake has seen most power system operators place a strong focus on unlocking their capability to respond to frequency excursions. Consequently, the effective utilization of conventional generation assets to improve frequency regulation in power systems has received less focus. This letter highlights two crucial aspects (governor deadbands and governor inactivity) pertinent to conventional generation assets, which must be considered by the system operator when operating power systems with a high share of inverter-based sources. Poor governor control is shown to significantly impact frequency regulation, thus undermining power system operation and performance, in an Australian case study. Furthermore, a high share of governor inactivity causes power system instability owing to degradation in governor response. For power systems with a high share of inverter-based sources, implementation of properly chosen governor deadbands and mandatory governor response is recommended to improve system frequency regulation.