Impact of PV inverter penetration on voltage profile and power loss in medium voltage distribution systems

With an increasing number of PV generators at the distribution system, the impact on the distribution system is no longer negligible. A comparison is done among PV generators of different capacities, different injection locations and different reactive power control modes, for their impact on system voltage profile and power loss. Voltage sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the impact of PV injection on system voltage profile. The accuracy of these sensitivity indices are proven by calculation results from MATLAB and simulation results from PSS/E. Guidelines are formed for utility to manage PV injection locations and regulate PV generator reactive power control to avoid voltage profile problem and reduce power loss. In comparing different PV injection locations, there's tradeoff between voltage regulation and power loss minimization, and randomly distributed PV may increase or decrease system power loss, but optimally distributed PV generators decrease power loss compared to centralized PV.