Reactive power management for overvoltage prevention at high PV penetration in low voltage distribution system

Abstract

In this paper, a new approach for reactive power management based on inverter's capacity and sensitivity to the critical bus has been presented. The approach addresses the voltage rise and reverse power flow issue when residential renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar panels produce more energy than the local load demand. The overvoltage issues are controlled by active management of reactive power flow. This method improves the voltage regulation of distributed system with high penetration of renewable energy sources while utilizing the inverters' reactive power capacity.