Requirements for

Integrating Renewables With

Smart Grid
Introduction
One of the effective way of utilizing the distributed energy resources
such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydel power, and fuel cell is the smart
grid technology . With fast diminishing of fossil fuel energy resources
and their emission effects on the environment, the search for alternate
energy sources is the key concern the entire world is currently dealing
with. However, with the advancement in technologies for integrating the
renewable energy resources and the corresponding reduction in cost has
created enormous opportunities to address the scope of electricity gener-
ation from renewable energy resources to great extent. In such scenarios,
the smart grid technology plays an important role by providing superior
quality power, coordinated generations, and options for energy storage
to encounter the fluctuations and the operating challenges. It also plays
a major role in promoting the consumer’s involvement in decision mak-
ing and providing the operating environment suitable for both the sup-
plier and the consumer. For example, in smart grid system, the customers
get the opportunity to supply power to the grid by using distributed
generation sources like solar, wind, electric vehicle, or energy storages.
Therefore, the reliability of the grid improves significantly using proper
demand response plans, utilizing more distributed generation resources,
and use of energy storing systems with appropriate power flow control.

1. Smart Grid
Conventional power system network has large power generating plants
located at remote sites from the load centers (or consumers) and the gen-
erated power is transmitted over a large distance through overhead trans-
mission lines to the load centers to distribute power to the customers

High

Medium

Low

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Figure 1.1 Penetration levels of distributed energy resources
(Figure 1.2a). However, the scenario of today’s world has changed with
the introduction of renewable energy resources in the form of distributed
generating units spreading over the power distribution network (Figure
1.2b). Apart from the environmental benefits, the use of distributed
gener- ations has the benefit of cheap electricity generation and
transmission due to low transmission losses. However, the limitation of
energy generation from renewable sources is its variable nature of power
generation in daily and seasonal patterns. However, with the current state
of the art in power electronics technology, the characteristics of
distributed generation are matched with the grid integration
requirements, and hence, the establish- ment of large distributed
generation has now became feasible.
Therefore, the smart grid technology is employed to mitigate the
energy balancing and power flow issues, which includes:

• Skillful predictions of power generations, which allows

sys- tem planner and operators to manage variability and
uncer- tainty more effectively;
• Power electronic interfaces for automatic grid support;

(a)

(b)

Figure 1.2 (a) Conventional power system network. (b) Smart grid network.
 Industries

EV
Office

Smart Smart
Grid House

Solar
Energy

Wind
Energy Power Plants
Figure 1.3 Basic structure of a smart grid system.

Renewable Energy Resources

The list of key renewable energy resources is shown in Figure 5.4 and
the distributed generation categories is presented in Figure 5.5 [5, 6]. The
brief introduction to these energy resources are as follows:

1. Fuel cell: Fuel cell is an electrochemical device which generates elec-

trical and thermal energy from chemical energy using electrochemical
process similar to a battery; however, the difference is since the electro-
chemical resources used in fuel cell (hydrogen and oxygen) are avail-
able in abandon, there is no need for the continuous feeding of the raw
materials.
A typical fuel cell process is shown in Figure 5.6, where the raw mate-
rials are H2 and O2, and the H2O is the byproduct with generation of elec-
trical energy in the form of dc power. With today’s fuel cell technology,
immobile fuel cells of mega-watt power ratings are available, whereas
por- table fuel cells of lower power ratings are also readily available. The
fuel cell energy technology is termed as clean and green energy, as the
elec- trochemical process involves hydrogen and oxygen, which are
available in excess in nature, and their combination electrochemical
process generates heat and electricity without any combustion process
with low environmen- tal concerns. Since the output electrical energy
from a fuel cell is dc, hence single-phase or three-phase dc-ac power
converters are needed to convert the dc power into ac to feed to the ac
utility grid. The advantages of fuel cell technologies are as follows:
 Distributed
Generation

Conventional Non-conventional
Generators Generators

Micro
Turbines

Electrochemical Storage Renewable

Devices Devices Devices

Fuel-cell
Flywheel Batteries

Solar PV Wind Ocean Hydro Bio Geothermal

Figure 1.5 Categories of distributed energy resources.

Exhaust Heat H,O

DC
Power
Fuel Fuel DC
Processor Cell AC
H, AC
Power
Fuel
Air (O,)

Figure 1.6 Typical fuel cell energy extraction process.

• Higher power conversation efficiency compared to

conven- tional thermal power plants;
• Compact, less air pollutions, and low noise level;
• Modular design provides ease to match with the specific
power demand.

One major disadvantage of fuel cell generator is the variable nature of

internal impedance, i.e., the internal impedance of a fuel cell changes
with time, and hence, there is a need for some external means to monitor
and regulate the fuel cell terminal voltage.

2. Solar PV Energy: Solar energy is one of the most readily available renew-
able energy where the solar photovoltaic effect converts the solar energy
into electrical energy. The radiations available from the sunlight are used
to energize the solar panels which, in turn, generates unregulated dc
power. This unregulated dc power is then converted into regulated dc
with maxi- mum power point tracking (MPPT) to extract maximum
power and then converted into grid frequency ac using dc to ac power
converter. A typical configuration of solar power extraction system is
shown in Figure 1.7.
Extracting solar energy has lower environmental affects; available in
aban- don and modular design for flexible scale of installation are its key
advan- tages, and capital investment, variability in power generations,
and the low power conversion efficiency are its major disadvantages.
However, steady researches are ongoing to mitigate the above-mentioned
issues.

3. Wind Energy: In wind power extraction, the energy from the flow of
wind, i.e., the kinetic energy of wind is extracted using large wind
turbines, and electrical energy is generated using Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Generators (PMSG) or Wound Rotor Induction Generators
(WRIG) coupled with the turbine. Both the power extraction schemes are
presented in Figures 5.8a and b, respectively. The electrical power
delivered by a wind turbine- generator system depends on the wind
velocity, the radius of turbine blades and the turbine speed
characteristics. In today’s wind power extraction technology, offshore
wind farms are much popular for clean energy extraction than individual
wind power installations [7, 8].
Apart from clean and green energy, the wind energy extraction has the
disadvantages like uncertainty in availability of power and uncontrolled
output power, i.e., very random and stochastic power output behavior.

Solar PV
DC/DC
Converter Transformer
+

– Filter
Inverter Grid
V,I duty
ratio
MPPT
Tracker

Figure 1.7 A typical configuration for solar power extraction.

 5.1.2 How Smart Grids Enable Renewables
The high penetration of renewable energy generations is only feasible
by upgrading the conventional power system network to advanced solu-
tions like smart grid technology to facilitate the integration of renew-
ables of different characteristics [1]. For example, the renewable energy
resources like solar, wind, ocean, and hydro are dependent on the cli-
mate conditions and hence their energy outputs are variable in nature.
Since, in a power system network, the demand supply response need to
be matched always (without storage systems), therefore either demand
has to be met by the generations or need to store the excess energy gen-
erated in ESS to mitigate the power generation and/or demand fluctua-
tions particularly for high penetrated distributed energy systems. Due
to power generation variability from distributed energy generations, the
utility companies are not comfortable to integrate such energy sources
to the conventional utility grid due to concern over grid stability, safety,
operations, and the pricing. Therefore, the smart grid technology is the
seamless solution to address such challenges with added features, which
further ease the transition from the conventional energy sources to
renewable energy sources.

5.1.3 Smart Grid and Distributed Generation

The two promising distributed renewable energy resources are the solar and the wind, in
particular the solar rooftop PVs, and with the use of smart grid technologies the same
can be promoted to much extent. The use of smart grid technology trains the
power system operators by providing continual real-time data about the system
conditions and the control. Providing real-time data on distributed electrical genera-
tion enables the power system operators to manage the demand-supply response more
effectively. For example, connecting or disconnecting the distributed energy
generations as per the need or to match the load demand. The energy then generated
from the disconnected energy gen- erations is stored in the storage systems present in
the smart grid sys- tem which further enables superior voltage regulations. Therefore,
the smart grid technology provides the monitoring of the generations and load
demand, which allows the utility companies to use the distributed renewable energy
resources as an alternative to conventional fossil fuel– based power generations. It also
features smart metering which enables the billing for the distributed energy generations
[10].

5.1.4 Grid Integration Terminologies

Few frequently used grid integration terminologies are as listed below [11].

a. Area of Balancing or Balancing Area: It defines the area

in which demand-supply balancing need to be maintained
by the power system operators. The area includes power
gen- eration, transmission, distribution, and the consumer.
b. Capacity: Capacity is defined as the capacity of the power
plant to cater the load demand and is defined either in
watts or in percentage of nameplate rating.
c. Flexibility: Flexibility of a power system is defined as its
ability to respond to the changes in power demand and in
the supply.
d. Grid Integration of Renewable Energy Resources: It is
defined as the efficient and cost-effective integration of
the renewable energy sources to the grid while
maintaining the grid stability and reliability.
e. Storage Systems: Storage systems in a power system net-
work is defined as the capability of the system to store the
electrical energy in case of surplus generations and utiliz-
ing the same at a later stage during any grid contingencies.
Presence of storage system in a power system network
sig- nificantly improves the system reliability.
f. Variable Renewable Energy: The electrical power
generated from renewable energy sources like solar, wind,
and hydro varies with climate changes and varies over
time and hence not constant all over the day and all over
the year. Therefore, the energy generated by them are
variable in nature.
g. Variability: Fluctuations in load demand or/and power
generations.
h. Uncertainty: Uncertainty in a power system is defined as
the inability to predict the electricity supply and/or the
demand.

Challenges in Integrating Renewables Into Smart Grid

Green earth is a global initiative today, which drives the quest for the
alternate techniques for efficient power generations, transmission and

distribution of electrical power. In such mission, one promising solution

is the use of renewable energy resources for electrical power generations
and integrating it with the existing power grid. However, considering
financial and reliability constrains, such integration demand changes
in the power system planning and its operations. As explained earlier,
smart grid technology enables the efficient and effective integration of
the renewables with the power grid and supports the reliable power sys-
tem operations even with fluctuations in renewable power generations.
In this integration process, the power converters like dc-dc, dc-ac and ac-
dc converters plays the role of interfacing and helps effective power flow
control.
The key factors to be considered during variable renewable energy
inte- grations are the quality of output power, efficiency, ease of power
conver- sion and integration, reliability, safety and most importantly the
financial benefits. This section deals with the grid integration challenges
and the requirements for flexible integration of the variable and uncertain
renew- ables with the power grid .