Optimal Coordination of Time Delay Overcurrent Relays for Power Systems with Integrated Renewable Energy Sources

With the gradual increase in load demand due to population and economic growth, integrating renewable energy sources (RES) into the grid represents a solution for meeting load demand. However, integrating RES might change the power system type from radial to non-radial, where the current can flow forward and backward. Consequently, power system analysis methods must be updated. The impact on power systems includes changes in the load flow affecting the voltage level, equipment sizing, operating modes, and power system protection. Conventional power system protection methods must be updated, as RES integration will change the power flow results and the short circuit levels in the power system. With an RES contribution to short circuit, existing settings might experience missed coordination which will result in unnecessary tripping. This paper considers the impact of integrating renewable energy sources into power system protection on overcurrent time delay settings. A new method to upgrade/adjust time delay settings is developed utilizing genetic algorithm (GA) optimization. The proposed optimization method can be used to evaluate the impact of integrating RES on the exiting overcurrent setting, and can provide new settings without the need to replace existing protection devices when the short circuit is within equipment thermal limits.