Frequency Stability in Renewable-Rich Modern Power Systems, Saudi Grid Case Study

The transition toward a zero-carbon society is the driving force for pushing traditional power systems to dramatically increase the share of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs). The high penetration of RESs in modern power systems would lead to a reduction in system inertia as they are indirectly connected to the grid using power converters. This reduction in the rotational inertia associated with synchronous generation might result in deteriorated frequency response following a power disturbance. This paper investigates the impact of high penetration of inverter-fed generation technologies on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) grid. The impact of RESs has been studied through the simulation of four case studies of the future KSA power system using MATLAB/Simulink simulation software. The model was tested after the integration of various penetration levels of RESs into the grid. The simulation results showed that high penetration of RESs would lead to a severe effect on the frequency response. The importance of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) for compensating the reduction in the system inertia has been addressed. The results showed the aggregated BESSs effectiveness for improving the stability of the system frequency.