Developing a Methodology for Reactive Power Planning in an Industrial Microgrid

In this paper, the challenges related to Reactive Power Planning (RPP) in Industrial Microgrids operating in Islanded mode have been examined, and possible solutions to these issues have been developed. Reactive Power Planning is vital in power system planning and operation. Industrial microgrids need reactive power to keep up with the growing number of machines and electrical equipment used in production. The paper proposes a methodology by integrating static and dynamic solutions to address reactive power issues in industrial microgrids operating in islanded mode. For the Static solution, Shunt Capacitors are placed at the optimal locations to mitigate the voltage violations with increased loading conditions. Then, for Dynamic support, STATCOM is placed on the most sensitive bus to support fast voltage recovery under motor start-up scenario. The whole planning has been carried out using the IEEE Std. 399-1997 Bus System.