Abstract
The proliferation of residential photovoltaic (PV) prosumers leads to detrimental impacts on the low-voltage (LV) distribution network operation such as reverse power flow, voltage fluctuations and voltage imbalances. This is due to the fact that the strategies for the PV inverters are usually designed to obtain the maximum energy from the panels. The most recent approach to these issues involves new inverter-based solutions. This paper proposes a novel comprehensive control strategy for the power electronic converters associated with PV installations to improve the operational performance of a four-wire LV distribution network. The objectives are to try to balance the currents demanded by consumers and to compensate the reactive power demanded by them at the expense of the remaining converters’ capacity. The strategy is implemented in each consumer installation, constituting a decentralized or distributed control and allowing its practical implementation based on local measurements. The algorithms were tested, in a yearly simulation horizon, on a typical Portuguese LV network to verify the impact of the high integration of the renewable energy sources in the network and the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed approach.
Highlights
Thereby, this paper proposes a novel comprehensive control strategy for the power electronic converters associated with the PV installations to improve the operational performance of a four-wire LV distribution network
√ Q ≤ √S will that when the solar panel is at its maximum power, the available reactive power of the electronic power Q to be injected according to the following expression: Q ≤ S − P
This work address the use and management of ancillary services provided by PV systems in a three-phase, unbalanced LV network
Summary
Government incentives and increased community awareness of environmental problems, installed power from distributed energy sources, or micro- and mini-generation plants has increased. The grid was designed to operate with a unidirectional power flow, and distribution systems are operated on the assumption that the energy flows are unidirectional, going from upstream to downstream where the loads are placed. In this situation, the typical voltage profile is decreasing from the transformer, at the beginning of the network, to the consecutive supplied loads. In a context including numerous prosumers, in high PV production periods, there is a possibility of significant reverse power flow and, mainly on cloudy days, serious voltage fluctuations may occur. Mitigation techniques to compensate the combined effect of load and PV
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