Abstract
Installation of grid-connected rooftop solar power generation modules has been allowed in Sri Lanka since 2008. The paper analyzes the potential use of solar power inverters at night to feed reactive power to the low voltage (LV) network. The LV network typically has undervoltage issues at the evening peak-time, and the PV inverters distributed along the line can be used to eliminate or reduce such undervoltage issues. The paper proposes an algorithm to determine the suitable operating power factor of each inverter connected to the feeder. A case study of a LV distributor with solar PV inverters is presented, to demonstrate the application of the algorithm. Financial benefits to customer by introducing a reactive power tariff is assessed. The paper concludes that such a system would yield net benefits to the utility.
Highlights
Electricity production from rooftop solar PV systems is rapidly increasing in Sri Lanka
Benefits of Released Capacity: Increased line capacity owing to reactive power infeed by solar PV inverters was calculated according to reference [5]
If T (Rs/kVArh) is the tariff for reactive energy paid to a customer, T = 1.01 Rs/kVArh The case study low voltage (LV) feeder has a total of 20 kVA of inverters, of which 19 kVA would be used for reactive power injection
Summary
Electricity production from rooftop solar PV systems is rapidly increasing in Sri Lanka. The annual capacity factor of solar PV installations is limited to about 17% owing to several reasons including the dependence of solar power generation on the availability of irradiation This means, the inverter installed to convert the dc output of solar PV to ac to feed the utility LV network, largely remains underutilized most of the time. Operating power factor for each inverter may be decided by the utility, based on measured feeder loading and the calculated voltage profile. This concept has not yet been implemented in Sri Lanka. The calculated power factor could be conveyed to the respective customers and requested to set and operate their inverters at the peak time.
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