This paper investigates the stability of a converter-dominated islanded power system when the island's battery energy storage converters are operated in different control modes (Grid Forming and Grid Following) and combined with different volumes of synchronous compensation. The study is conducted in a realistic simulation model of the future Madeira Island, where no thermal generation is present, and the share of converter-based Renewable Energy Sources is large (75 to 80 % of instantaneous penetration).
The impact of the different combinations of synchronous condensers and BESS converter control modes on the system stability is evaluated using a stability index-based approach that accounts for multiple operation scenarios. In this procedure, the system's dynamic response to the reference disturbances (short-circuits in the Transmission and Distribution Network) is obtained via RMS dynamic simulation and is then analyzed to extract two stability indices (Nadir and Rocof). Such indices are computed for the synchronous generator speed and the grid electrical frequency (measured in different points using a PLL) and are later used as the basis for discussion and conclusion drawing.