Smart Transformers - Enabling Power-Frequency Regulation Services for Hybrid AC/DC Networks

The progressive decommissioning of large synchronous generators that should take place in face of increasing penetration ratios of Distributed Generation (DG) will demand additional control mechanisms for inertia provision and frequency and voltage regulation in the power system. The need to cope with increasing penetration ratios of DG in distribution grids, added to the necessity to integrate an expected massification of EV and distributed ESS, and to the necessity to enhance Power System resilience and controllability, makes the Smart-Transformer (ST) a suitable solution. In this paper it is demonstrated the feasibility of the ST to contribute to frequency control through the control of the resources available in the distribution AC/DC hybrid networks created from the ST. The feasibility of local droop controllers, acting on frequency and voltage magnitude of the AC/DC hybrid networks created from the ST, to achieve the aforementioned goal, is demonstrated through computational simulation.