Improving Power Quality of Distributed PV-EV Distribution Grid by Mitigating Unbalance

Abstract

Increasing price of fossil fuels and public awareness encouraged many countries to use clean technologies in transport and electricity generation sector. The advent of smart meters can identify unbalance in PV-EV distribution grid which is a great concern for Distribution Service Operators (DSOs). Several researchers have accessed the degree of unbalance and impact of unbalance on distribution grids considering either distributed PV or EVs. Moreover, a few research work has been done for mitigating unbalance till now. This paper measures unbalance due to unequal distribution of loads and sources among three phases and assess the impact of unbalance on power quality of the PV-EV distribution system by considering different PV and EV penetration levels using DigSILENT Power Factory simulation software. An improved method is proposed to mitigate unbalance using Genetic Algorithm by optimizing load distribution among phases. Finally, the efficacy of the proposed method is evaluated considering unequally distributed residential and EV load scenarios, and it is found that the proposed method can reduce a significant amount of unbalance at all the buses of the distribution grid.