Determining the maximal penetration rate in photovoltaic power: case of SENELEC network in Senegal

This article presents the contribution of the renewable energies to the mixed energy in the network transmission of Senegal, western Africa. The focus will be on the capacity of this network to absorb a photovoltaic generation to determine the maximal penetration rate. The approach has been applied to the electricity network of SENELEC (National Company of Electricity of Senegal) which presents good opportunities to host photovoltaic energy productions. The network transmission and its various components were modeled using the PowerFactory software. Various characteristic parameters of the stability of the network were measured and allowed us to appreciate the maximal rate in photovoltaic energy. The results of the simulation were satisfactory. 17.3 percent penetration rate in HTA and of 16.4 percent in HTB would be obtained for 2020, and the average power is about 100 MW. These simulations allowed us to determine the functional limits of electricity networks in the face of the intermittency of the renewable energy productions such as the photovoltaics.