Photovoltaic Power Converter Management in Unbalanced Low Voltage Networks with Ancillary Services Support

Fermín Barrero-González, Victor Fernão Pires, José L. Sousa, João F. Martins, María Isabel Milanés-Montero, Eva González-Romera and Enrique Romero-Cadaval
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Fermín Barrero-González: School of Industrial Engineering, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Victor Fernão Pires: INESC-ID and Setúbal School of Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal
José L. Sousa: INESC Coimbra and Setúbal School of Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal
João F. Martins: Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Nova University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
María Isabel Milanés-Montero: School of Industrial Engineering, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Eva González-Romera: School of Industrial Engineering, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Enrique Romero-Cadaval: School of Industrial Engineering, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: The proliferation of residential photovoltaic (PV) prosumers leads to detrimental impacts on the low-voltage (LV) distribution network operation such as reverse power flow, voltage fluctuations and voltage imbalances. This is due to the fact that the strategies for the PV inverters are usually designed to obtain the maximum energy from the panels. The most recent approach to these issues involves new inverter-based solutions. This paper proposes a novel comprehensive control strategy for the power electronic converters associated with PV installations to improve the operational performance of a four-wire LV distribution network. The objectives are to try to balance the currents demanded by consumers and to compensate the reactive power demanded by them at the expense of the remaining converters’ capacity. The strategy is implemented in each consumer installation, constituting a decentralized or distributed control and allowing its practical implementation based on local measurements. The algorithms were tested, in a yearly simulation horizon, on a typical Portuguese LV network to verify the impact of the high integration of the renewable energy sources in the network and the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed approach.

Keywords: photovoltaic (PV) systems; ancillary services; low-voltage (LV) network; voltage imbalance; reactive power control; smart grids; power electronic converters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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