Determination of PV Hosting Capacity on the 20 kV Distribution Network considering Network Configuration

Determining hosting capacity is very important in the integration of a photovoltaic (PV) system into a 20 kV distribution network. In order to accelerate the energy mix target, renewable energy sources especially photovoltaics can be integrated at the distribution level. This paper will discuss an analysis of the maximum PV hosting capacity in the 20 kV distribution network using particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Particle swarm optimization is selected as the optimization method due to its fast convergence. The analysis includes several network constraints such as voltage profiles, line loading, reverse power flow, and power factor at the main substation. The network reconfiguration option is also considered in the process. This study was simulated using IEEE 33 Bus system to identify the optimal location and maximum PV penetration in the 20 kV distribution network. The simulations also emphasize the importance of considering land availability and network reconfiguration options in determining the PV location and penetration. Four scenarios were simulated, including different PV power factor scenarios and network reconfiguration scenarios. The obtained result showcases that the test system is able to receive a penetration of 2.183 MW. Then the network reconfiguration option is able to increase the penetration to 2.788 MW.