Feasibility Study of Integrating Photovoltaic Generation Power Plant into a Distribution Network in Pakistan

The integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation power plants into a national grid poses a complex set of challenges, having a considerable influence on the national grid codes. The grid codes shall deal with new technical challenges such as network robustness and system stability, impinged by the integration. This paper investigates the technical problems which may arise when a solar PV power plant is integrated into a distribution network. The studies include power flow, short-circuit, and dynamic stability analyses. The dynamic stability analysis has been conducted by considering three-phase faults with a stuck-breaker case occurring at the near and far end of a grid-connected solar PV power plant. The study incorporates realistic data to simulate the actual behavior of the system when a proposed 10-MW solar PV power plant is integrated into a specific 11 kV distribution network in Lahore, Pakistan. The test systems have been modeled in PSS/E software for this study.