How Many Grid-Forming Converters Do We Need? A Perspective From Small Signal Stability and Power Grid Strength

Grid-forming (GFM) control has been considered a promising solution for accommodating large-scale power electronics converters into modern power grids thanks to its grid-friendly dynamics, in particular, voltage source behavior on the AC side. The voltage source behavior of GFM converters can provide voltage support for the power grid, and therefore enhance the power grid (voltage) strength. However, grid-following (GFL) converters can also perform constant AC voltage magnitude control by properly regulating their reactive current, which may also behave like a voltage source. Currently, it still remains unclear what are the essential differences between the voltage source behaviors of GFL and GFM converters, and which type of voltage source behavior can enhance the power grid strength. In this paper, we will demonstrate that only GFM converters can provide effective voltage source behavior and enhance the power grid strength in terms of small signal dynamics. Based on our analysis, we further study the problem of how to configure GFM converters in the grid and how many GFM converters we will need. We investigate how the capacity ratio between GFM and GFL converters affects the equivalent power grid strength and thus the small signal stability of the system. We give guidelines on how to choose this ratio to achieve a desired stability margin. We validate our analysis using high-fidelity simulations.