Abstract
Recently, many countries have focused on generating greener energy. As a result, the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems connected to the low voltage network has shown a rapid increase around the world. Many studies are being carried out to analyze the potential impact of high penetration of solar PV on the operation and performance of electricity distribution systems. This study proposes a Monte Carlo based approach to evaluate the impacts of rooftop solar PV on low voltage networks and a case study is presented for a typical unbalanced residential network in Sri Lanka using a three-phase, four wire model. The model has been validated by comparing the load flow simulation results with actual measurements and the validated model has been used to investigate the impact of solar PV on distribution networks. The impacts were analyzed using parameters such as voltage unbalances, neutral currents, voltage and thermal limits. Results illustrate that PV penetration is limited under certain penetration levels due to the violation of some of the parameters. Further how phase balancing could be used to minimize high neutral currents and voltage unbalances is also illustrated.
Highlights
In Sri Lanka, almost all the hydro power resources have been tapped and planned new generation is mainly by thermal
By examining the results obtained for all six cases/ combinations, it was found that, most of the time maximum voltage and voltage unbalances were remained within the statutory limitations
This paper proposes a Monte Carlo based stochastic approach to investigate the impact of rooftop solar PV on electricity distribution systems
Summary
In Sri Lanka, almost all the hydro power resources have been tapped and planned new generation is mainly by thermal. In order to achieve this target, Sri Lanka is intending to generate a higher share of electricity from greener energy. The government has launched a new community-based power generation project titled “Soorya Bala Sangramaya - Battle for Solar Energy”(Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, 2016) to promote the setting up of small solar power plants on the rooftops of households, religious places, hotels, schools, government institutions, commercial establishments and industries. It is expected to add 200 MW of solar power generating capacity to the national grid by 2020 and 1000 MW by 2025 through this intervention. As a result of this project, the integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is gaining attention in Sri Lanka
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