Dynamic Security Optimization for N-1 Secure Operation of Power Systems with 100% Non-Synchronous Generation: First experiences from Hawai'i Island

This paper presents some of our first experiences and findings in the ARPA-E project ReNew100, which is to develop an operator support system to enable stable operation of power system with 100% non-synchronous (NS) generation. The key to 100% NS system, as found in many recent studies, is to establish the grid frequency reference using grid-forming (GFM) inverters. In this paper, we demonstrate in Electro-Magnetic-Transient (EMT) simulations, based on Hawai'i big island system with 100% NS capacity, that a system can be operated stably with the help of GFM inverters and appropriate controller parameters for the inverters. The dynamic security optimization (DSO) is introduced for optimizing the inverter control parameters to improve stability of the system towards N-1 contingencies. DSO is verified for five critical N-1 contingencies of big island system identified by Hawaiian Electric. The simulation results show significant stability improvement from DSO. The results in this paper share some insight, and provide a promising solution for operating grid in general with high penetration or 100% of NS generation.