The effect of the volt/var control of photovoltaic systems on the time-series steady-state analysis of a distribution network

Abstract

Grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems with relatively high capacity effectively reduce peak load, but because of their reverse power flow, they can cause overvoltage along a feeder that can exceed five percent of the rated voltage. Modern PV systems with the capability of Volt/Var control can mitigate overvoltage by either injecting or absorbing reactive power. Thus, the objectives of this study are to (1) model a distribution network (feeder J1 located in the northeastern United States and enhanced by thirteen PV systems) using OpenDSS; (2) use actual collected load profile data as input data to the simulation model and PV generation output data at 15-minute intervals; and (3) calculate the time-series steady-state power flow of the distribution network when PV systems generate or absorb reactive power. Finally, it addresses overvoltage resulting from the deployment of high-capacity grid-connected renewable PV systems and mitigation techniques for such overvoltage issues, particularly Volt/Var management and control. Index Terms--Photovoltaic (PV) systems, time-series steady-state power flow, and Volt/Var.

Novel Optimal Coordinated Voltage Control for Distribution Networks Using Differential Evolution Technique

“…The OLTCs change their taps to restore the voltage level to the proper limits, (Vlachogiannis and stergaard, 2009) [27], based on voltage drop estimation from local measurements. When power injected to the network by DGs is greater than the power needed in the connection bus loads, this power goes to the substation, interfering with the configuration of control elements, and provokes excessive critical operations, which degrades the life expectancy and increases maintenance costs [28]. In this paper, when a DG PV plant is connected to an end feeder, it can be supposed that the power interface is capable of controlling the reactive power QDG injection/absorption.…”

“…The objective function that defines the problem needs to include the following objectives: The first objective f 1 is to reduce the active power losses defined in (6). In order to maintain the voltage between the maximum and minimum boundaries the quadratic penalty function (QPF) (V Li − V lim) 2 is applied and considered in (8) , presents an objective function to limit the excessive taps and capacitor switching operations.…”

A Review of Power Distribution Test Feeders in the United States and the Need for Synthetic Representative Networks

“…Table 4 summarizes the main parameters of these test feeders. These networks are mainly used in studies about high-penetration PV environments, where Volt/Var control strategies are needed to overcome overvoltage problems [42][43][44].…”

Optimal distributed generation allocation for reactive power control

“…To maintain the voltage of a distribution network within the desired range, typically within ±5% of the rated voltage [20], DG systems can participate in reactive power control under the mutual agreement of DG system owners (or operators) and the utility [20][21][22][23]. In addition, much more DG systems, including PV systems, wind farms, and other inverter-based DG systems, able to control reactive power are continuously connected to the distribution network.…”