Impact of Prosumers’ PV reverse power flow on voltage rise in MV distribution systems

Abstract

This study examines the impact of reverse power flows from PV generation of the prosumers on medium voltage distribution feeders, without implementation of any curtailing strategies. Two test systems well-representing actual distribution feeders, one serving an industrial area and the other a commercial area, have been employed to analyze the impacts of voltage rise and power loss at various PV penetration levels, up to 80% on energy basis (equivalent to 234% on power basis). The simulated test results reveal that such impacts of reverse power flows from the PV prosumers can be manageable in all cases. Moreover, they contribute to reduction of power loss in respective cases. The study also compares the case of distributed PV installations (prosumers) versus the single-sited lumped PV installation (a producer). It is found that the latter causes more adverse impact on both voltage rise and power loss.