Combined Transmission and Distribution Test System to Study High Penetration of Distributed Solar Generation

Abstract

Transmission and distribution (T&D) standard test systems are currently defined separately, and are critical for researchers and engineers to develop and test new solutions. Growing installation of energy resources in distribution and sub-transmission systems is creating higher interactions between T&D systems. This paper proposes a standard test system to study T&D interactions for high penetration of distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. The proposed test system can be used to study and propose solutions to problems such as reverse power flows from distribution to transmission and voltage control affected by PV variability. The proposed test system combines the transmission IEEE 118 bus system, with the distribution IEEE 123-node feeder. The original test systems are significantly enhanced by adding high penetration of solar PV generation with corresponding full-year 5 minute-resolution chronological data and associated power flow cases on both transmission and distribution. Conventional generation chronology is achieved by adding dispatch and unit commitment data for AC optimal power flow solutions. And chronological load data is added in both aggregated, at substation level, and disaggregated, at feeder node level, fashions. Sample applications of the data are provided highlighting voltage control challenges, and the proposed system is made available openly online [1].