Research on The Impact of 100% PV Penetration in Power Distribution Systems

This paper investigates the impact of increased penetration of renewable energy, more specifically, PV systems, in future distribution systems. As it is known, grid-connected PVs at the distribution level serve as promising solutions to the growth in electrical demand and a cleaner, more eco-friendly environment in many countries worldwide. Due to the rise in electrical demand, consumption, and greenhouse gas levels, there is great potential that the total demand would be met by PV systems in some appropriate conditions, hence, operating the power distribution network with a 100% PV penetration scenario. Thus, it is a topic with great interest to most researchers and power system operators to analyze the effects of 100% PV penetration on distribution systems. This paper is focused on steady-state analysis and harmonics at full load conditions with 100% PV penetration. The simulation results of this paper have demonstrated the level of suitability of 100% PV penetration on distribution systems. The results of this paper are concerned with the effects of 100% PV penetration on the voltage level, the losses, the reverse power flow, and the harmonics level in the system. Although it is a target to increase the share of PVs in future scenarios, the analysis results show that it is worthwhile to consider the negative impacts associated with it. These negative impacts might include the violation of voltage limits, reverse power flow into the system, and harmonic order levels, especially at low load conditions. The simulations are performed in DIgSILENT Power Factory, where a modified version of the IEEE 13- node test system is used to demonstrate the findings of this paper.