Using Reactive Power from Wind Turbines for Loss Reduction in Distribution System

Considering the majority of the power losses occur in distribution systems, it is worthwhile to investigate the use of reactive power compensation (RPC) from wind turbines installed in the distribution system for loss reduction. Therefore, this paper analyses the effectiveness of the RPC for loss reduction under different system conditions. These include power factor of the system load, X/R ratio of the cables, and the electrical location of the wind turbines. The result of the analysis shows that the effectiveness of RPC for loss minimization mainly depends on the power factor of the load followed by the location of the wind turbine in the system. In this regard, in a system where the average load power factor is around unity, e.g. 0.98, RPC is not attractive for loss reduction. However, when the average power factor of the load is around 0.90, RPC is able to decrease the system loss by around 20%. Though the 2/3 rule can be applied to site wind turbine for maximum loss reduction through the use of RPC, the overall sitting problem of the wind turbine is more likely to be dependent on its active power output rather than RPC. The X/R ratio of the cable, on the other hand, has very little impact on the effectiveness of the approach.