Three-Phase Optimal Power Flow for Study of PV Plant Distributed Impact on Distribution Systems

Abstract

This paper presents a TOPF (three-phase optimal power flow) model that represents photovoltaic systems. The PV plant is modeled in the TOPF as active and reactive power source. Reactive power can be generated or absorbed using the available capacity and the adjustable power factor of the inverter. The reduction of unbalance voltage and losses in the distribution systems is obtained by actions of reactive power control of the inverter. The TOPF is formulated by current balance equations and the PV systems are modeled via an equivalent circuit. The primal-dual interior point method is used to obtain the optimal operating points for the systems for different scenarios of solar irradiance and temperature, thus providing a detailed view of the impact of photovoltaic distributed generation.