Impact of installing renewable energy sources on a small-scale power network in the Caribbean

Abstract

Abstract Many small island states in the Caribbean like Antigua and Barbuda depend heavily on petroleum-based products for power generation. Given the fluctuating oil prices, there is now an urgent push for increased energy security. Antigua is one of the fastest-growing islands for grid-connected Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Whilst the increase in grid-connected RES improves the islands’ energy security, and it is equally important to understand the impact that RES have on the network’s reliability and security. Thus, a base case model of the power network was built, and the following areas were analysed: load flow, contingency analysis, and fault analysis. The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) 69kV power network is used as a case study for this project. PowerWorld and Homer Energy software have been used to simulate and model the grid. Results from the project show that RES changes the power flow and could help to improve the system voltage profile if placed correctly. Whilst increased penetration of Wind Turbine Generators (WTG) on the grid increases the system fault levels, they also play a key role in active and reactive power control. This means that the APUA network must be more flexible, and system operators must have network visibility to react to changes on the network. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact that RES (in particular, wind and solar PV) has on the operational, security, or reliability of a small-scale power network.