Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Robustness of Residential-Scale Smart Photovoltaics

This paper presents the results of an investigation of undesirable impacts of voltage control actions from autonomously acting residential Photovoltaic generators (PVs) in response to overvoltage conditions. The investigation was performed on a real-world secondary distribution system. We conclude that Volt-Var control curve settings for smart inverters should be selected carefully to avoid severe power quality and stability issues. Very conservative settings are curves with slowly rising slopes and low max/min values, but these curves curb the voltage control capability of smart inverters significantly. The addition of a Var Ramp Rate Limit can help with potential power quality issues, but the voltage control response is significantly slower. In future work, we will extend the study to the primary system to investigate larger PV penetration levels and the interaction of smart PV with traditional voltage control equipment.