Decentralised Voltage Regulation through Optimal Reactive Power Flow in Distribution Networks with Dispersed Generation

Abstract

The global capacity for renewable electricity generation has surged, with distributed photovoltaic generation being the primary driver. The increasing penetration of non-programmable renewable Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) presents challenges for properly managing distribution networks, requiring advanced voltage regulation techniques. This paper proposes an innovative decentralised voltage strategy that considers DERs, particularly inverter-based ones, as autonomous regulators in compliance with the state-of-the-art European technical standards and grid codes. The proposed method uses an optimal reactive power flow that minimises voltage deviations along all the medium voltage nodes; to check the algorithm’s performance, it has been applied to a small-scale test network and on a real Italian medium-voltage distribution network, and compared with a fully centralised ORPF. The results show that the proposed decentralised autonomous strategy effectively improves voltage profiles in both case studies, reducing voltage deviation by a few percentage points; these results are further confirmed through an analysis conducted over several days to observe how seasons affect the results.

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“…Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) are experiencing high growth rates worldwide due to rising interest in green energy and a decline in investment costs [7]. Limiting the discussion to the most popular sources of renewable generation [8], solar and wind, it is reasonable to point out that, disregarding the enormous benefits in terms of decarbonization, the large penetration of these intermittent resources may cause negative impacts on the power grid, including an increase in reactive power flows, voltage fluctuations, unbalances, and congestions [9].…”