Voltage Rise Mitigation in PV Rich LV Distribution Networks Using DC/DC Converter Level Active Power Curtailment Method

Abstract

In low voltage (LV) distribution systems, the problem of overvoltage is common during the lower load intervals. This problem arises because of the high value of R/X ration of these systems. Many techniques are available in literature to cope up with this problem at the converter level; mostly these methods control the reactive or active power of the photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, there are certain restrictions and complications with the reactive power control of PV systems. Most of the active power control methods have been implemented at the inverter stage of the PV system, resulting in implementation complexities and excessive oversizing of the converter. Therefore, in this paper, a simple, de-rating based voltage control algorithm is proposed to overcome the problem of overvoltage. So far de-rating technique has been used to enable frequency support functions in PVs; in a first of its kind, de-rating technique is used here to control the voltages in PV rich LV distribution systems. The entire control is implemented on the dc/dc converter stage of the PV system and the inverter stage is kept untouched. The effectiveness of the control is verified by simulating a sample PV-rich three bus LV distribution system on the MATLAB software. The proposed control avoids the overvoltage by approx. 700 V for the best-case scenario.