Demand response for the promotion of photovoltaic penetration

The capabilities offered by using Demand Response (DR) to aid the integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems into medium voltage (MV) distribution networks, are explored in this paper. The methodology followed focuses on the optimal usage scheduling of deferrable loads in order to coincide with forecasted PV production profiles by applying DR techniques on a day-ahead load profile. The obtained results highlight that the application of DR techniques can maintain the upper voltage level at 1.031 p.u. without violating the voltage regulation limits, while the lower level remained relatively unaffected. Furthermore, a significant reduction in active power levels, up to 5 MW, was observed, thus resulting in a feasible extension of the existing PV capacity.