An Inclusive Model for a Practical Low-Voltage Feeder with Explicit Multi-Grounded Neutral Wire

With increasing penetration of distributed energy resources in the distribution network, voltage levels become a concern. However, power flow models for these networks are rare due to the complexity to collect and manage large amounts of feeder data in a way that suits engineering analysis. Unfortunately, even the network model exists, the quality of data may not be high enough for power flow analysis. In this paper, a comprehensive 4-wire low-voltage network is built, starting from reliable topology and approximate sequence impedances, and simulation results are compared to the uncleaned data and a simplified 3-wire representation. Power flow with photovoltaic penetration is also carried out. Results indicate that the improved network data has a higher occurrence of undervoltage situations. Using a 4-wire network with neutral wire can more accurately reflect the influence of neutral-to-ground voltage, even in the presence of frequent grounding. Both undervoltage and overvoltage deteriorate with PV penetration due to neutral voltage fluctuation.