PV Hosting Capacity in Distribution Grids: A Comparison of Quantification Methods

PV hosting capacity of a distribution grid can differ depending on the method used for its quantification. Even different settings adopted in a particular method can lead to different hosting capacity values. Those differences have not been well contrasted in literature, limiting the understanding of the attributes and drawbacks of available quantification methods. In this paper, the hosting capacity of the IEEE 69-bus distribution grid is quantified using four methods: violation-mitigation-based, stochastic, optimal power flow, and continuation power flow. Multiple settings are adopted in each method to assess the effects on the resulting hosting capacity. Quantitative comparisons of the resulting hosting capacities at a grid and node level are carried out. A better understanding of the quantified hosting capacity resulting from different methods showcases their point of improvement and facilitates the election of the quantification method.