DG Penetration for Household Nonlinear Loads as a Solution to PQ Enrichment

Abstract

In the recent years, power quality has become a very predominant issue for research, contributing a majority from residential loads. As the new technologies in house hold appliances are developed with solid state switching devices, it introduces nonlinearity into the system causing harmonics, voltage fluctuation, poor power factor etc. This can be eliminated to a remarkable extent by using a standalone solar system with battery backup to supply lighting and frequently used essential low power devices. The system can be implemented without much compromise in the installation cost. Penetration of Distributed Generation(DG) into the system improves the reliability of power supply, possibly at a lower cost over a period of time. The effectiveness of the use of standalone DG for household applications is discussed in this paper with a view to decrease the Total Harmonic Distortion on the line when they are operated with AC supply. The simulation is carried out using MATLAB/Simulink and the results are verified through experimental findings.