Determining PV hosting capacity without incurring grid integration cost

Integrating high proportions of residential photovoltaics (PV) in the distribution grid may potentially disrupt the nominal circuit operating conditions and result in power quality issues. The maximum PV capacity that can be integrated without incurring any grid impacts is referred to as the PV hosting capacity of the grid. Integrating more PV than the hosting capacity mandates grid upgrades and additional investments. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the PV hosting capacity of the distribution grid with zero or minimum cost of PV integration in the grid. Using a stochastic analysis framework and quasistatic load flow simulations, the impacts of high PV penetration on the distribution grid are evaluated. The analysis includes the effectiveness of existing voltage regulation equipment namely load tap-changing (LTC) transformer and capacitors in eliminating the steady-state problems such as feeder overvoltages and voltage deviations. The study is carried out on three distribution circuits, and the results indicate that the hosting capacity of the circuits can be increased significantly while incurring a minimal cost to the grid.