Regulation strategies for mitigating voltage fluctuations induced by photovoltaic solar systems in an urban low voltage grid

L. R. Visser; E. M.B. Schuurmans; T. A. AlSkaif; H. A. Fidder; A. M. van Voorden; W. G.J.H.M. van Sark

doi:10.1016/j.ijepes.2021.107695

Regulation strategies for mitigating voltage fluctuations induced by photovoltaic solar systems in an urban low voltage grid

L. R. Visser^*, E. M.B. Schuurmans, T. A. AlSkaif, H. A. Fidder, A. M. van Voorden, W. G.J.H.M. van Sark

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Transient clouds cause rapid changes in the power output of Photovoltaic (PV) solar systems. These ramp rates may lead to power quality problems, such as voltage fluctuations, in the low-voltage (LV) electricity grid. This paper firstly assesses the impact of a growing number of distributed PV systems on the voltage profile in a LV grid by considering PV penetration rates of 40%, 70% and 100% of the local rooftop capacity. Next, the potential of active power curtailment, grid reinforcement and supercapacitors to prevent or mitigate these voltage fluctuations are examined. The experiments in this study are based on simulations run with a two-second time resolution for an urban LV grid located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. This study identifies that problematic fluctuations occur already at a 40% PV penetration rate and are expected up to 7.4% of time for a 100% PV penetration scenario. Additionally, the local deployment of either active power curtailment or supercapacitors are identified as adequate strategies to regulate the occurring voltage fluctuations. Finally, the most stable voltage profile and the lowest number of problematic voltage fluctuations are found in case of adopting supercapacitors as part of the PV system.

Original language	English
Article number	107695
Pages (from-to)	1-12
Journal	International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems
Volume	137
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2021.107695
Publication status	Published - May 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work is part of the Energy Intranets (NEAT: ESI-BiDa 647.003.002) project, which is funded by the Dutch Research Council NWO in the framework of the Energy Systems Integration & Big Data programme.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)

Funding

This work is part of the Energy Intranets (NEAT: ESI-BiDa 647.003.002) project, which is funded by the Dutch Research Council NWO in the framework of the Energy Systems Integration & Big Data programme.

Keywords

Active power curtailment
Grid reinforcement
Photovoltaics
Supercapacitor
Voltage fluctuations

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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1-s2.0-S0142061521009236-mainFinal published version, 1.38 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

Visser, L. R., Schuurmans, E. M. B., AlSkaif, T. A., Fidder, H. A., van Voorden, A. M., & van Sark, W. G. J. H. M. (2022). Regulation strategies for mitigating voltage fluctuations induced by photovoltaic solar systems in an urban low voltage grid. International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, 137, 1-12. Article 107695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2021.107695

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Regulation strategies for mitigating voltage fluctuations induced by photovoltaic solar systems in an urban low voltage grid

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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