Autonomous Inverter Voltage Regulation in a Low Voltage Distribution Network

Abstract

Inverter voltage control techniques, including Volt-Watt and Volt-VAR, have been developed to support higher penetration integration of photovoltaic (PV) generation. These techniques typically focus on voltage regulation as measured at the point of common coupling (PCC). Implementing voltage control with distributed inverters within a low voltage network is challenging due to voltage rise between the PCC and the electrical connection point (ECP). This paper proposes a voltage correction and control method for distributed PV microinverters in a low voltage network by utilizing readily available data measurements, i.e., voltage and power at the ECP of inverters. It is shown that this method could reduce unnecessary PV microinverter tripping and power curtailment while supporting voltage control schemes at the PCC. Test results are provided from simulation-only scenarios and a power-hardware-in-the-loop test platform.