Power Quality Study in Distribution Networks with High Penetration of Renewable Energies using Real-Time Simulation

Abstract

Introduction: The power supplied to the load through the distribution network comes mainly from conventional energy sources. However, a transformation is being made towards sustainable and efficient electricity networks, which incorporate distributed renewable energy sources and closer to consumption. This process has led to the investigation of the effects that the inclusion of distributed energy resources brings, which have shown power quality issues. However, more studies are required to show more detailed effects and the use of new tools such as real-time simulation. Objective: This paper uses real-time simulation to evaluate the impact on the power quality produced by integrating distributed energy resources (DER) into a distribution network. Method: The IEEE 13-node test feeder system was used to evaluate voltage harmonics, current harmonics, flicker, and DC injection based on the IEEE 1547-2018, IEEE 519-2014, and the NTC 5001-2008 standards. The feeder test system was implemented in the Hypersim software and used to run real-time simulations. Results: The results show that integrating distributed energy resources into the network produces a high impact on the current harmonics of the network. Conclusions: The DC injection phenomenon presents a medium impact, and flickers and voltage harmonics present a lower impact.