Development of Grid Code Compliance Tool for GFM Technology

Abstract

The shift from synchronous generators to inverter-based resources creates new risks for inertia, fault current and voltage support. At the same time, European grid codes define many new requirements for grid-forming technology, but there is still a gap between these rules and practical tools that can test real plants.

This thesis builds a grid-code compliance test bench for a co-located grid-forming PV plant, battery storage system, and converter-based dynamic load in PowerFactory. The standard virtual-synchronous-machine model is adapted to represent PV and BESS, and a dynamic load model is designed to follow power setpoints and support frequency and voltage. The plant is then tested in a range of typical grid-code events, such as faults, voltage changes and frequency disturbances, under different grid strengths.
A Python script automates the full workflow by reading settings from Excel, running the simulations, and collecting key results. The study shows that the tuned models can meet the main grid-forming capability needs and highlights how grid strength and controller tuning affect stability. Overall, the work delivers an integrated test bench and automation framework that can be reused and extended for future compliance studies of hybrid inverter-based plants