2017 3rd International Conference on Electrical Information and Communication Technology (EICT), 7-9 December 2017, Khulna, Bangladesh
Power Quality Analysis of Distributed Wind
Generation Systems
A. Das1, N. K. Roy1, and H. R. Pota 2
1
Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering &Technology, Bangladesh
2
School of Engineering & IT, The University of New South Wales, Australia
aparupa.das92@gmail.com; nkroy@eee.kuet.ac.bd; h.pota@adfa.edu.au
Abstract—This paper analyzes one of the most crucial
problems related to the harmonics pollution of distributed
generators connected to distribution networks which contain
non-linear loads. A wind-based distributed generation system is
considered here which generates harmonics due to its power
electronics interface to the grid. To investigate the interactions
between distributed generation and loads, different types of non-
linear loads, which are also a source of harmonics, are connected
to the distribution network. When distributed generation and
non-linear loads both are connected to establish a technologically
upgraded system, then the harmonics from both ends merge in
such a way that the resultant harmonics become extremely high
that is very much deleterious for any system. This research
examined the impact of the resultant harmonics in various
possible conditions and pointed out that the harmonics nature
and magnitudes are different for different types of loads. The
system is also tested under different fault conditions and
significant voltage sags and swells are observed. To analyze the
effects, a model is considered encompassing a permanent magnet
synchronous generator based wind turbine, an AC/DC/AC
converter with current controller which is dependent on a
straight line method and the total setup is connected to a 12 bus
radial system to investigate the power quality issues. This power
quality analysis is conducted on the PSCAD/EMTDC
environment.
Keywords—Distributed generation, Permanent magnet
synchronous generator, AC/DC/AC converter, Adjustable speed
drive, Arc furnace, Harmonics, Voltage sag.
I. INTRODUCTION
The universe today is using an excessive amount of fossil
fuel which will lead the world towards a huge crisis of
environmental disaster in the near future. Scientists,
researchers and planners have no alternative option rather than
shifting to renewable and green energy sources to minimize
greenhouse gas emissions and thus, preventing the rise of sea
level due to the melting of ice-berg by increased global
temperature. The technologies should be remolded to diversify
the energy consumption and generation concepts to link with
sustainable world. Among the various sources of renewable
energy, wind turbines recently have gained the attraction and
become famous due to their availability, structure and design
[1].
Nowadays, the distributed generation (DG) plays an
important role in energy sector because it not only provides
sufficient power support to the distribution network (DN) but
also reduces the cost of power generation [2]. DNs previously
978-1-5386-2307-7/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE
only deal with delivering electricity to the customer and this
trend has changed a lot as the connection of DG is introduced
and they are being used for the collection of power from
different DGs [3]. With the development of wind
technologies, the trend of using the fixed speed wind turbine
(FSWT) is shifted towards the variable speed wind turbine
(VSWT) to utilize the aerodynamics of the wind more
significantly within a wide range of wind velocity and to
maintain the stable torque [4], [5]. Not only this, the VSWT
can maintain a tip speed ratio at the time of low wind velocity
and, when the velocity of the wind is strong, it only generates
the rated power output without being damaged by the high
speed [6]. The VSWT generators can be categorized into two
categories such as doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) and
permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). After
comparing DFIGs and PMSGs, it is found that PMSGs are
optimum in generation with a wide range of varying wind
speed and they have other benefits like low loss, stable and
comparatively high magnitude of power is generated [7], [8].
All the development in wind power technologies have made it
more popular.
An AC/DC/AC converter has to be connected when the
PMSG based wind turbine system is used because, without
this device, it is difficult to push the power into the DN due to
the voltage and frequency issues and it can sweep the
maximum amount of power. The AC/DC/AC converter has
non-linear characteristics and this is one of the reasons behind
the generation of harmonics in the system. These harmonics
generate heat, damage equipment, reduce power quality and
increase losses of energy. On the other hand, several non-
linear loads are present in the DN and the level of harmonics
of the DN may dramatically increase when the converter
connected DGs are employed. The interaction of these
harmonics can hamper the setup of the system. The other
major power quality problems are voltage sags and swells,
which take place in the system when any fault or disturbance
occurs. Previously, various analyses and calculations were
made on the level and nature of harmonics that deal with only
the issues related to non-linear loads [9]-[11]. However, the
issues related to DG are not extensively studied. Before
integrating large-scale power electronics interfaced DG into
existing DNS, the problems must be precisely understood and
critically analyzed. Therefore, the main goal of this research is
to analyze the harmonics issues of the DN in the presence of
DG and non-linear loads. The entire research has been planned
to explore the problems and situations more intensely. Thus, it
will help the other academicians to solve the problems and to system’s line data and load data are given in Table I and Table
find a perfect solution and pave a pathway to ensure the mass II, respectively [12].
usage of wind based DG around the globe, to adopt these
technologies commercially and to ensure a sustainable world. TABLE II. LOAD DATA OF 12 BUS RADIAL SYSTEM

In this paper, Section II contains the wind-based DG model Bus no. Active power load, PL Reactive power load, QL
(kW) (kVAR)
where the PMSG and the converter models are given in detail.
1 0 0
In the next section, the power quality problems and non-linear 2 60 60
load models are shown and harmonics, voltage sag and swell 3 40 30
analyses are conducted considering different cases. Lastly, in 4 55 55
section IV the conclusion is drawn based on the entire 5 30 30
analysis. 6 20 15
7 55 55
II. DG MODEL 8 45 45
9 40 40
The DG is a method of producing power from a small-scale 10 35 30
energy source which is fed to the DN directly. Sometimes this 11 40 30
system is called as decentralized energy generation system or 12 15 15
onsite generation. The conventional or centralized power
systems are often required to cover a long distance to transmit A. PMSG based wind turbine
electricity which increases the transmission loss as well as the The latest wind generation technologies around the world
cost and these problems are often highlighted in power are following the trend of using PMSGs. In past, generators
distribution sectors. To minimize such situations, a DG system had exciters like coils but due to the recent advancement they
is the perfect solution which is generally located near the load use a permanent magnet in the place of an exciter. The
or in the distribution network. permanent magnet in this generator is mounted to a shaft.
When the system is at work, then the rotor’s and stator’s
magnetic fields have same angular speed and the electricity is
generated at the stator end. The rating of the PMSG in this
analysis is 3 MVA.
The frequency (Hz) of the stator is directly proportional to
the speed (RPM) of the rotor. The equation for power of the
wind turbine is [13]:
Pw = 0.5ρAC pVw3 , (1)

here, Pw = wind power [W], Vw = wind speed (m/s), Cp =

Figure 1. A 12 bus radial network with wind power based DG. power co-efficient, ρ = air density (kg/m3), A = area swept by
TABLE I. LINE DATA FOR 12 BUS RADIAL SYSTEM the rotor [m2] .
From bus To bus Resistance, R (in Reactance, X B. AC/DC/AC Converter
ȍ) (in ȍ) Generally, an AC/DC/AC converter is set to sweep the
1 2 1.093 0.455
maximum amount of power from the generator; however, the
2 3 1.184 0.494
3 4 2.095 0.873
matter of concern is that it produces harmonics due to the non-
4 5 3.188 1.329 linear characteristics. It has three important components, such
5 6 1.093 0.455 as diode rectifier, dc bus with a storage capacitor, and 6-pulse
6 7 1.002 0.417 bridge thyristor inverter. The rectifier is an important
7 8 4.403 1.215 component of this converter system which has a higher
8 9 5.642 1.597 inductance in the dc side than its ac side. Therefore, the dc
9 10 2.890 0.818 current gives a constant value in dc side. As a result, it works
10 11 1.514 0.428
like a harmonics voltage source at its dc side whereas it acts
11 12 1.238 0.351
like a harmonic current source in its ac side. The rate of
In this paper, a DG system is designed with a PMSG based harmonics generation depends on the number of pulses. The
wind turbine and an AC/DC/AC converter is incorporated total current and voltage harmonic distortions are
while connecting to the DN. A current controller mechanism mathematically expressed as [14], [15],
with voltage dependent current limiter is employed for
¦
∞
controlling the converter. A 12 bus radial DN is considered for I n2
the analysis as shown in Fig. 1, where B represents bus and L n=2 I 22 + I 32 + ........ + I n2
I thd = × 100% = × 100% ,
represents load [12]. In this model, a wind energy based DG is I1 I1
connected at bus 5. At this bus, different types of non-linear (2)
loads are connected to examine different situations of
harmonics generation in the system. The 12 bus radial

¦
∞
V2
n=2 n 2 2 2 components, the harmonic causes various problems like it
Vthd = × 100% = V + V + ........ + V × 100% ,
2 3 n
V1 V1
(3)
here, Vthd = total voltage harmonic distortion, Ithd = total
current harmonic distortion and they are calculated by RMS
values (V1, V2, ….Vn) and (I1, I2,……. In).
For controlling the voltage collapse mechanism, the
voltage dependent current limiter (VDCL) is used. When any
short circuit occurs in the ac system, voltage will be collapsed.
The VDCL will identify it and set the current order in a certain
level. The VDCL only allows the flow of current with in a
predetermined value. There are two limiting parameters, one is
volts for applying limit (Von) and another one is volts for
removing limit (Voff) that must be in the same polarity as the
measured voltage and Voff is always greater than Von.
Figure 2. Current controller model of AC/DC/AC converter.
The system is designed through the straight line method
[16]. For limiting the system’s current, two conditions are
implemented so that the over and under current situations can
be avoided which not only protect the system but also reduce
the generation rate of harmonics. In this system, input
parameters are the measured dc bus voltage (Vd) and reference
current (CI) whereas the output parameter is the current order
(CO). When, Vd>Voff then, CO=CI; which is the current for the
rated power. When Vd<Von then, CO=current limit; which is
the minimum current in the inverter.
To act on the error between CO and measured dc current
(CD), the current controller is employed in the system as
shown in Fig. 2. For producing firing angle, this controller
generates a desired alpha order (DA). The current margin
(CM) usually has a fixed value and in normal operating
condition, it is zero. If under normal operating condition, the
converter is not controlling current, then it is forced into
establishing dc voltage by setting CM positive for an inverter
or negative for a rectifier. This force takes the desired firing
angle of the inverter to the maximum level of alpha (Įmax). At
the rectifier, a negative CM forces the firing angle to alpha
minimum limit (Įmin).
III. POWER QUALITY PROBLEMS
In DNs, several kinds of power quality issues are raised like
harmonics, voltage sag and swell. In faulty condition, the
voltage sag is notified in the system whereas harmonics are
generated from the converter connected DG and non-linear
loads.
A. Harmonic distortion
Nowadays, harmonic distortion is being very crucial and
significant crisis in power sector, which is assumed to be
much higher in the future as the non-linear power electronics
devices are used all over the globe. In power equipment and
increases skin effect which causes I2R losses and generates
heat in the circuit. The eddy current losses in the transformers
will be increased if the harmonics increased. When the level of
harmonic rises, the capacitor will be overheated and dialectic
stress will take place. Moreover, it hampers the effectivity of
circuit breaker. In this paper, different types of non-linear
loads are designed for harmonics analysis.
A 40 HP induction motor with an adjustable speed drive
(ASD), as shown in Fig. 3 is designed, and connected at bus 5
for the analysis. In this motor drive, the PWM technique is
applied for controlling the 6-pulse inverter of the ASD which
is the main source of harmonics generation. Generally, for its
construction, in an induction motor two types of harmonics are
introduced; one is space harmonic and the other one is time
harmonic [17]. Space harmonics are generated in the circuit
for the interaction of different phase winding at the time of
rotating magnatic field generation. This space harmonics
cause various problems like generation of noise, viabration
and affect the starting of the motor. On the other hand, the
time harmonics generate heat which is very harmfull for the
system. The addition of ASD’s harmonics, this harmonics
pollution reached to an extreme level. In this system, a 6-pulse
bride rectifier and a dc link capacitor is also used. The inverter
of the ASD converts the dc voltage to ac voltage to control the
motor’s speed.
Figure 3. Model of induction motor with ASD.
The electric arc furnace is another major non-linear load
which is commonly used in steel industry for melting and
refining purposes. This device is used for melting metal by
converting the electrical energy to an electric arc. However, it
produces harmonics in the system for the highly non-linear
V-I characteristics of arc. The harmonic effect is large because
of its large capacity lumped together at one place. When this
load is connected to the system, it hampers the power quality
of the system. Voltage harmonic distortion is prominent in this
load than the current harmonics [18]. Practically, the V-I
characteristic gives more noise due to the unpredictable and
chaotic nature of the load. This model of arc furnace is based
on a non-linear differential equation [16], [19].
dr k
k1 ⋅ r n + k 2 r = m3+ 2 ⋅ i 2 , (4)
dt r
k3
v= ⋅i , (5)
r m+2
here, i = arc current, v = arc voltage, r = arc radius. The
parameters ki (i=1, 2, 3), r and n characterize the arc under a
given operating condition.
 Figure 4. Online diagram of an arc furnace.

An arc furnace is connected at bus 5 of the DN as shown in

Fig. 4. Here, Xc and Rc are the reactance and resistance,
respectively of the connecting line to the arc furnace
Figure 6. Distorted current waveform due to induction motor with ASD and
electrodes. AC/DC/AC converter of DG.
For understanding the harmonics generation rate in the
system, various situations are examined.
Case 1: When the RL load is implied with the system at
bus 5, the harmonics of the DG’s converter and RL load are
merged and the resultant harmonics go beyond the tolerable
limit. In normal operating condition, an RL load produces less
harmonics and the individual harmonic of the system mostly
comes from the converter of DG. From this analysis, it is
observed that in case of RL load, the current harmonics are
higher than the voltage harmonics. The distorted current
waveform in this case is shown in Fig. 5. Generally, in DN
several DGs are connected, for collecting more power. If the
number of DG is increased in the system then the harmonic
level is also increased, as shown in Table III, because of (a)
increasing the number of power electronics based converters.

Figure 5. Distorted current waveform due to RL load and DG’s converter.

TABLE III. INDIVIDUAL HARMONIC DISTORTION (IN %) OF THE (b)
SYSTEM DURING RL LOAD WITH SINGLE AND THREE DG UNIT.
Figure 7. Individual current and voltage harmonic distortion (in %) of
Harmonic RL load with single DG RL load with three DG induction motor with ASD and DG’s converter during (a) LG fault and
Order unit unit (b) LLLG fault.
Individual Individual Individual Individual
current voltage current voltage Case 3: The level of interrupted harmonics of the converter
harmonic harmonic harmonic harmonic and the non-linear loads is increased when the system faces
distortion distortion distortion distortion any kinds of faults as shown in Fig. 7. During single line to
(in %) (in %) (in %) (in %) ground (LG) fault the level of harmonic is raised but it reaches
3rd 3.925 2.331 11.761 9.843 to the extreme level in case of three-phase (LLLG) fault which
5th 19.148 15.394 63.653 49.975
7th 16.921 13.283 46.212 38.274 may damage a significant portion of the system. This
9th 14.991 9.937 28.559 20.345 representation again proves that an LLLG fault is the most
severe fault in case of harmonics. In the system, a fault is
Case 2: If the induction motor with ASD is incorporated in applied at bus 12 for 0.2 second.
the system, an excessive magnitude of harmonic is generated
Case 4: The positioning of the DG is an important factor in
because this ASD contains a power electronic inverter. In this
harmonics analysis. The position of it determines the
case, the current is more affected by the harmonics as shown
magnitude of harmonics. The far the DG from the non-linear
in Fig. 6 and both current and voltage harmonics are more
load, the minimum amount of harmonics is generated and
than that of the RL load. The combination of the induction
vice-versa. If the non-linear load and the DG are connected at
motor’s harmonics, ASD’s harmonics and the DG converter’s
the same bus that is bus number 5, then the highest magnitude
harmonics create a vulnerable situation in the system.
of harmonics is generated. If the DG is connected at the far
corner that is bus number 12, the harmonics are minimum.
And, connecting the DG unit in a mid-position that is bus
number 3, the generated harmonics also lie in the mid-range as
shown in Fig. 8.
(a)
(b)
Figure 8. Individual (a) current and (b) voltage harmonic distortion (in %) of
induction motor with ASD and DG’s converter depending on DG’s position.
Figure 9. Distorted voltage waveform due to arc furnace and AC/DC/AC
converter of DG.
Case 5: In this part, an arc furnace is taken into
consideration for harmonic analysis. It is connected at bus 5.
The voltage harmonics are the major harmonics in this case.
From Fig. 9, it is seen that the voltage wave form is seriously
affected by the harmonics. The DG’s converter adds more
contribution in harmonics pollution.
Case 6: In this part of the analysis, a comparison among the
RL load, induction motor load and arc furnace load is
overviewed and through graphical expression, it has been
depicted. From Fig. 10, it is found that the induction motor is
the most current harmonics generating device in comparison
with RL load and arc furnace. On the other hand, the arc
furnace produces more voltage harmonics than the other two
types of loads. The RL load contributes less harmonics in both
cases of current and voltage. From Fig. 10, it is observed that
5th and 7th are the most prominent harmonics in this system.
According to IEEE Std 519-1992, the allowable individual
voltage and current harmonic distortion are 3% and 4%,
respectively [15]. In this test setup, voltage and current
harmonic distortions of three types of loads exceed the
tolerable limit set by the IEEE.
(a)
(b)
Figure 10. Individual (a) current and (b) voltage harmonic distortion (in %)
due to three different non-linear loads with DG’s converter.
B. Voltage sag and swell
The voltage sag is another most common power quality
problem which is caused for the unexpected fault, motor
startup and short-circuit. It is also known as voltage sag which
is the short term reduction of voltage from its rated value [20].
It is measured by seeing the depth and duration. For voltage
sag analysis purpose, an induction motor with ASD is taken
into consideration with the DG connection. If, after 3.7
second, an LG fault occurred in the test system at bus 12 for
two-cycle then voltage sag is notified in the system as shown
in Fig. 11. From this figure it can be observed that, only faulty
phase A has fallen down during this time where the other two
phases are also disturbed but it faces voltage swell which is
the sudden increase of voltage from its rated value. This
voltage swell problem is also taken place during the total time
of voltage sag [21].

Figure 11. Voltage sag and swell during LG fault.
Figure 12 potrays the voltage sag in case of a double line to
ground (LLG) fault and an LLLG fault. If the LLG and LLLG
faults are occurred repetitively for 0.2 second at bus 12 then in
case of LLLG fault the largest voltage sag is notified that is
53% sag whereas during an LLG fault, it is 58% sag.
LLG fault
LLLG fault
Figure 12. Voltage sag during repetitive LLG and LLLG faults.
IV. CONCLUSION
From the discussion and analysis, it can be said that this
research elaborates and clarifies the concepts and conditions
regarding DG connected system with DNs. The designed
model is critically examined under some important load
conditions and it is found with proper evidence that every load
characteristics causes different level of harmonics within the
system. The current harmonics, which are the most harmful
harmonics, are reached to a higher level in case of an
induction motor whereas the voltage harmonic are larger in an
arc furnace. In this system, it is found that 5th and 7th order
harmonics are the prominent harmonics in this type of non-
linear loads. The position and the number of DG units play a
crucial role in harmonics generation. The level of harmonics
generation goes upward as the number of the DG unit gets
increased. When the DG is connected with the non-linear load
at the same bus the generated harmonics become the
maximum and if the position of the DG shifts away from the
non-linear load, the generated harmonics gets reduced with
distance increased. However, the worst case may take place if
the system faces any fault, which takes the generated
harmonics at a drastic level, even may collapse any part of the
system. Not only this, fault in the system causes voltage sag
and it also creates a challenging situation for the total system.
This paper aims to identify and objectify the critical problems
related to DG-integrated systems which have been
successfully enlightened by this work. The solution of power
quality issues with DG connected DNs is the future aim of this
research to upgrade the current technological order to a new
dimension.
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