Oscillation damping contributions of variable-speed wind generators in the Eastern Interconnection (EI)

The United States Eastern Interconnection (EI) might go through some profound changes due to the increasing penetration of wind power in this bulk grid, such as the worsening of inter-area oscillations across the interconnection. However, the fast response speed of power electronics devices makes it possible for properly-timed electrical power from variable-speed wind generators to be injected into the power grid. These electronics devices can be controlled in a fast manner and, thus, can significantly contribute to oscillation damping if implemented with appropriate control schemes. In this paper, a user-defined wind electrical control model with a wind oscillation damping controller is built in PSS®E. Then a dynamic case, with realistic penetration of wind power, is created based on the 16,000-bus EI dynamic model. Taking advantage of the user-defined wind electrical control model and EI system dynamic model, the potential contribution of variablespeed wind generators to the EI system oscillation damping is evaluated. Simulation results demonstrate that, at current and future penetration levels, wind generators represent a promising tool for damping oscillations in the EI.