Active power curtailment of PV inverters in diesel hybrid mini-grids

Renewable energy sources such as wind and photovoltaics (PV) have great potential for reducing fuel consumption in diesel-based mini-grids in remote communities. However, the fluctuating and intermittent nature of these sources can give rise to a number of problems in mini-grids with high penetration of non-dispatchable renewables with reduced or non-existent storage units. This paper proposes the use of a frequency x power droop control strategy for curtailing the output power of PV inverters during periods of excess of power in a diesel-dominated mini-grid. This approach results in reductions of frequency variation and also reduces the operation of the diesel genset with reduced loading. The theoretical analysis is verified by means of digital simulations with PSCAD.