Performance assessment of an impedance based islanding detection method in a distribution network with multiple PV inverters

Abstract

Because of high penetration of distributed resources in the distribution networks, the analysis of islanding detection methods in the multiple inverters situation has become of a great importance. Inverter resident active islanding detection methods inject disturbances into the supply system and detect islanding based on the responses of locally measured parameters. The islanding detection methods which is analyzed in this paper, injects interharmonic into the grid for impedance measurement. This method is very effective in systems with a single inverter but it is believed that their effectiveness might be reduced in multi-inverter systems due to mutual interferences. This paper discusses the effect of inverters on the islanding detection capabilities of inverters with impedance based islanding detection method and also interferences between the latter. The simulations are performed in PSCAD environment, which analyses the capability of impedance based islanding detection methods in a LV distribution network with multiple PV inverter.