Voltage Management by Grid-connected PV-STATCOM Inverter for Distribution System

To transform DC power from solar panels into AC power for injecting into the grids, the PV solar system employ inverters. This paper presents a smart inverter in which a PV inverter can be controlled as a dynamic reactive power compensator terms as PV-STATCOM. This PV inverter control enables a PV solar inverter to operate in three modes i) PV Mode ii) PV-STATCOM Mode iii) STATCOM mode, depending upon the system needs. The control is developed for the objective of a) reactive power control b) power factor correction c) symmetrical voltage regulation. In PV Mode, based on solar radiation, the inverter performs only real power production. In PV-STATCOM Mode, uses only the remaining capacity of inverter for power control and power factor correction. STATCOM Mode is invoked in emergency scenarios, like voltage fluctuation or fault. In this mode real power production is shut down temporarily and entire capacity of inverter is utilized for providing critical support to the power system. This paper presents a) PV-STATCOM concept, b) MATLAB/SIMULINK model studies of PV-STATCOM.