2.

Today, i will introduce to smart inverters capability on power grid. Paper studied by behrooz mirafzal
and aswad adib. Its a new tools for power grid especially for the distrubuted generation.
So, first of all, what is the smart inverter: An inverter with the capability to make proactive and
autonomous decisions based on local measurements and external data can be defined as a smart
inverter. It’s feature includes grid-interactive (which means comminicated to network in bidirectional),
versatile control mode options (which means included fault detection, self healing and more) and of
course communication capability.
So, what makes it to “smart”:
 Self-governing (grid-following and grid-forming)
 Self-adapting (adaptive-control to various grid condt.)
 Self-security ( identifying malicious setpoints )
 Self-healing ( stress-reduction under abnormal condt. )
3.
- Generation and transmission technologies are evolving at a rapidly as is the composition of generation
from centralized large power plants to smaller more distributed generating resources at both the
distribution and transmission levels and of course the high-penetration of DGs provides more fexibility
for power systems, where inverters play the most significant role in DGs. Although, the high-penetration
of DGs has many benefits but it brings new security, stability, and reliability challenges in power
systems.

-A smart inverter becomes a cyber-physical system that includes both physical parts, e.g. modules,
sensors, processors, and data packet communications.
-The inverters connected to communication or cyber network could be in danger of being hacked, thus
jeopardizing the security of the inverters.
-Furthermore, the inherent zero inertia feature of inverter-based DGs can result in low-inertia
microgrids, making the gird vulnerable to sudden disturbances and leading to instability.
-Inverters can also fail quickly because of internal switch faults, risking the system reliability.
-for the proper operation of an inverter with different modes of operation, the inverter should be
capable of seamlessly switched between modes of operation. In other words, smart inverters should be
able to self-govern as communicating with agents or an operator in a supervisory structure. The
communication or cyber network provides access to information beyond the available data from their
local sensors.

4.
The self-governing feature is defined as the capability of supporting the grid by providing autonomous
ancillary services or forming microgrids and networked microgrids by regulating the grid voltage and
frequency.

There is two type of mode in smart inverters: 1)Grid following mode and 2) Grid forming mode
Also Grid following modes has two sub modes: 1)Grid feeding 2)Grid Supporting
Currently, most commercial PV inverters operate as grid following/grid feeding sources that regulate
their power output by measuring the angle of the grid voltage using a phase-locked loop and include
maximum power point tracking and constant reactive power injection (generally zero) on power system.
Hence, they merely follow the grid angle/frequency and do not actively control their frequency output.
So that, in abnormal conditions this mode of operation has no effect on power system.
In contrast, a grid supporting and grid-forming source actively controls its active/reactive power,
frequency and voltage output.

5.
Smart inverters, if the abnormal conditions occur in power system which are mostly symmetrical and
asymmetrical voltage sags, they can used these two modes: supporting and forming. In grid supporting
modes, inverters act like a current source so that operated in ancillary services in these circumstances
and keep feeding the power system like low voltage ride through capability (capability that electric
generators to stay connected in short periods of lower electric network voltage).
6.
Whereas in grid forming modes, inverters act like a voltage source and provide voltage and frequency
support by staying connected the grid in abnormal conditions. Especially, with growing displacement of
synchronous generation, the frequency becomes increasingly dependent on the remaining synchronous
generators and grid-forming inverters will play a constructive role in improving the frequency dynamics
and stability of inverter-dominated power systems.

Generally, inverters powered by non-intermittent sources such as battery energy storage and natural
gas microturbines are chosen to be grid-forming inverters, while the remaining inverters can operate in
their original mode of operation, e.g. grid-feeding mode.

Inverters powered by renewable sources such as PV arrays and wind turbines can also operate in grid-
forming mode, but only when they are equipped with their own energy storage units.

A grid-forming inverter must be sized for higher-rated values compared to an equivalent grid-feeding
inverter to provide sufficient flexibility and a stability margin, particularly in asymmetrical and weak
grids.

9.
-One way to form a self-secure inverter is to identify the normal operating region, and used it along with
the grid codes as the knowledge-base.
-If a hacker manipulates the inverter setpoints, the inverter can first examine the new setpoints using
the reference model, and then, may refuse to engage them if the projected output falls outside of the
safe operating region of the inverter. Based on various types of cyberattacks, different and more
sophisticated methods can be developed.
10.
Incipient fault diagnosis and self-healing of inverters is a crucial feature. It becomes even more critical
for inverters operating in islanded microgrids and grids with high penetration of inverter-based DGs. In
islanded microgrids, the total load of the system is shared among the inverters. As a result, if an inverter
gets suddenly disconnected due to a fault, it could trigger a cascaded event similar to the weak grid case
that may collapse the entire system.