Performance Enhancement of Grid-Connected Renewable Energy Systems Using UPFC

No one denies the importance of renewable energy sources in modern power systems in terms of sustainability and environmental conservation. However, due to their reliance on environmental change, they are unreliable systems. This paper uses a Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) to enhance the reliability and performance of grid-tied renewable energy systems. This system consists of two renewable sources, namely photovoltaic cells (PV) and wind turbines (WTs). The UPFC was selected for its unique advantage in both active and reactive power control. The UPFC is controlled with an optimized Fractional Order Proportional–Integral–Derivative (FOPID) controller. The parameters of this controller were tuned using an Atomic Search Optimization (ASO) algorithm. Simulation results confirm the efficiency of the suggested controller in supporting the reliability and performance of the hybrid power system during some disturbance events including voltage sag, swell, and unbalanced loading. In addition, power quality can be improved through reducing the total harmonic distortion. It is worth mentioning that two maximum point tracking techniques had been included for the PV and WT systems separately. MATLAB/SIMULINK 2021a software was used to model the system.