Analysis of Changing Consumer Reactive Power Patterns in Distribution Grids

The characteristics of reactive power have changed significantly during the last few years. In response to this development, many network operators in Finland have recently invested in reactive power compensation. Helen Electricity Network Ltd., the distribution system operator in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, has recorded the active and reactive power patterns in its distribution network from 2003 to 2017. The measurements indicate a dramatically declining trend of reactive power consumption. Similar developments are observed in several countries, but literature on this subject is still relatively scarce. This paper reports observations on the longterm development of reactive power. Furthermore, the contemporary distribution of reactive power in the subtransmission and distribution network is analyzed in detail. The paper utilizes measurement data from distribution automation and smart meters, which provides new opportunities to evaluate the distribution of reactive power in the grid. The results indicate that the changing nature of end-user devices has had an extremely significant effect on the measured reactive power in the network.