Abstract
In the last few years, renewable energies became more socially and economically relevant, and among them, photovoltaic systems stand out. Residential self-consumption of electricity is a field with great potential, and implementation of grid-connected photovoltaic systems (GCPS) is in full rise. The installation of distributed generation systems in residential environments could alter the performance of low-voltage distribution networks, since these are designed for unidirectional power flow and adding these generators means fluctuations in power-flows. For these reasons, a study of the fundamental magnitudes of three low-voltage distribution networks located in Madrid was made for various photovoltaic penetration rates, making use of simulations via the software OpenDSS and subsequent analysis of results. The research concludes that, among other aspects, GCPS produce load flow variations that are dependent on: the penetration rates; the distance from the point of interest and the distribution transformer, increasing the voltage variation between the most productive hours and the night hours with that distance; and on the rate between consumption and generation, so that when it diminishes, the self-sufficiency of the system increases, and with it the voltage of all the buses that tend to the rated voltage. Moreover, there are wide seasonal fluctuations: specifically, in summer months, generation profiles override consumption fluctuations, while in winter months consumption guides voltage and power profiles. Both the code implemented and the results of the analysis were published in an open source website using a free software license.
Highlights
In the last few years, renewable energies gained social and economic importance since they are widely available and clean sources
Scenarios selected from a set of blocks with characteristic building typologies due to their construction during periods of major urban growth in the city of Madrid. This fact offers a vision of the problem that leaves behind the study of standard networks to focus on the specific problem of urban distribution networks, with their characteristics and problems, to examine their capacity to face the implementation of grid-connected photovoltaic systems, because it is in the urban environment where their use stands out
Official data on the energy demand of Spanish households show that more than 90% of domestic consumption could be supplied by solar installations, highlighting the benefit of installing shared-use photovoltaic systems compared to individual ones, as it reduces the variability of consumption profiles and increases the use of energy [12]
Summary
In the last few years, renewable energies gained social and economic importance since they are widely available and clean sources. These systems are dependent on the traditional distribution grid, since generation profiles and household power consumption profiles fluctuate independently based on consumption patterns and weather variables This results in a need for external energy supplies or accumulation systems to cover all the consumption requirements. This fact offers a vision of the problem that leaves behind the study of standard networks to focus on the specific problem of urban distribution networks, with their characteristics and problems, to examine their capacity to face the implementation of grid-connected photovoltaic systems, because it is in the urban environment where their use stands out
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