Performance analysis of a Microgrid equipped with a Battery Energy Storage System

In Scotland, to mitigate the consequences of frequent system anomalies in a remote area of the network, the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) decided to integrate a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) into the Drynoch primary substation, enabling the downstream network to operate in islanded mode. The aim of the research is to analyse in depth the behavior of the network once the BESS has been installed. To do this, a load-flow analysis and a short-circuit analysis have been implemented on an approximate network model of the real network. Both analyses have been carried out for different load, generation and operation conditions. Through the analyses, the main characteristics of the network have been obtained and commented on. In the thesis, in the load-flow analysis, the values of power flows, line loads, voltages in the network nodes and more are discussed, while in the short-circuit analysis the fault currents at the nodes are evaluated. The analyses have been implemented through PowerFactory, modeling and simulation software for electrical power systems. Within the thesis, all the steps to design the equivalent network and to correctly set the characteristics of each electrical component to properly carry out the analyses are described in detail.