Grid-connected photovoltaic power plants: A review of the recent integration requirements in modern grid codes

Abstract

Summary The high integration of photovoltaic power plants (PVPPs) has started to affect the operation, stability, and security of utility grids. Thus, many countries have established new requirements for grid integration of solar photovoltaics to address the issues in stability and security of the power grid. In this paper, a comprehensive study of the recent international grid codes requirement concerning the penetration of PVPPs into electrical grids is provided. Firstly, the paper discusses the trends of PVPPs worldwide and the significance of improving grid codes' requirements. In addition, the comparison of common requirements covered in the majority of international grid codes considers high‐ and low‐voltage ride‐through capabilities, voltage and frequency regulation, and active and reactive power support requirements. Finally, a broad discussion on the compliance technology challenges and global harmonization of international grid codes that the PVPPs have to address is presented. The study summarizes the most recent international regulation regarding photovoltaic integration and research findings on the compliance of these regulations and proposed recommendations for future research. It also can assist power system operators to compare their existing requirements with other universal operators or establish their own regulations for the first time. Additionally, this research assists photovoltaic manufacturers and developers to get more accurate understanding from the recent global requirements enforced by the modern grid codes.

Power Quality Assessment of Grid-Connected PV System in Compliance with the Recent Integration Requirements

“…Accordingly, in case the voltage above 90%, no injection of reactive current, however, if the fault caused the voltage to drop between 90% and 50% (area A), the PVPP must support the voltage stability and mitigate the voltage sag by injection of amount of reactive current depend on the curve provided. To overcome sag events during the worst case (B area) once the voltage dropped to less than 50%, the grid voltage recovery must be supported by injection at least 100% of the available reactive current [9].…”

“…PVPPs have various characteristics that differ from the traditional power plants, which in turn lead to new For power quality, grid codes from countries such as Germany [3], Italy [4], USA [5], Australia [6], and many international standards like IEC standards [7] and IEEE standards [8] have enforced strict power quality rules for PV and other renewable energy sources (RESs) integration. For instance, during voltage sag, which is normally caused by the grid faults, the new requirements necessitate injecting reactive current into the PV system to overcome the sag event and to support the grid stability [9,10]. The limits of voltage fluctuation, harmonics, power factor, voltage unbalance, and flicker have also been defined and imposed.…”

“…The limits of voltage fluctuation, harmonics, power factor, voltage unbalance, and flicker have also been defined and imposed. Different countries have set their own rules, requirements, and standards as summarized in [9,[11][12][13][14]. However, verification and implementation can be more important than setting rules and regulations.…”

A review of fault ride through of PV and wind renewable energies in grid codes

“…Also, superabundant grid codes' FRT capabilities are separated into several groups and analyzed. The aim of this paper is to present a specific review about the FRT in the grid codes, unlike the papers that discuss a large variety of problems superficial . The rest of this paper is organized as follows.…”

“…The aim of this paper is to present a specific review about the FRT in the grid codes, unlike the papers that discuss a large variety of problems superficial. 17 The rest of this paper is organized as follows. Section 2 describes the grid code.…”