D-statcom application for energy efficiency and grid stability in agricultural irrigation systems: Modeling, simulation and performance analysis

In this thesis, a model of D-STATCOM was developed and its performance was analyzed as a solution to improve reactive power management and voltage stability in agricultural irrigation systems. The study modeled and evaluated the effects of D-STATCOM on reactive power balancing, voltage regulation, and frequency control using MATLAB Simulink. Agricultural irrigation systems often involve inductive loads such as motors and pumps, which demand high reactive power and can adversely affect grid stability and energy quality. This study demonstrated that D-STATCOM successfully balances reactive power fluctuations in irrigation feeders, improves the power factor, and stabilizes voltage levels. Simulation results revealed that D-STATCOM responds quickly to load variations, thereby enhancing system stability. In the study, D-STATCOM’s control mechanisms were examined in detail, and reactive power management was successfully achieved based on reference voltage (Vref) and reference current (Iqref) values. It was observed that D-STATCOM provides reactive power to counter voltage drops caused by inductive loads and absorbs reactive power to stabilize voltage rises due to capacitive loads. Additionally, the elimination of harmonics at the inverter output using LC filters improved energy quality and ensured system reliability. Simulation data showed that when D-STATCOM was activated, grid stability was achieved within a short time of approximately 0.1 seconds. The power factor was improved from 0.7 to 0.95, and energy losses were reduced by 15%, demonstrating the effectiveness of D-STATCOM in enhancing energy efficiency in agricultural irrigation systems.This study highlights the potential of D-STATCOM as a significant solution for improving reactive power management and energy quality in agricultural irrigation feeders. In the future, integrating D-STATCOM with renewable energy sources and energy storage systems could support broader applications of this technology. In this context, the findings of this study demonstrate that D-STATCOM is a critical tool for energy efficiency, grid stability, and sustainable energy management in agricultural irrigation systems.