Power system efficiency improvement using solar PV systems

Electrical power systems throughout the world experience an unprecedented transformation. One of the main motivation for this is a transition from conventional power generation technologies towards renewable energy sources (RES). This transformation has numerous positive effects on power systems, environment and social engagements on a global level. However, poorly planned and allocated RES add complexity to power systems operations and can cause numerous challenges. This paper investigates some of the most common parameters used in the RES grid integration process. In particular, the impact of different PV penetration levels on energy losses and transformer current loading in a PV predominated power system are presented. The analysis is performed in DigSILENT® Powerfactory software using quasi-dynamic analysis on a modified IEEE 14 bus system. The results demonstrated that the energy losses could be reduced until the critical point of PV penetration. After the critical point is reached, the energy losses start to grow rapidly. The current loading of the transformers also tend to reduce with the increase in PV penetration until the critical point and rapidly grow after the critical point. In conclusion, results presented in this work demonstrate the importance of appropriate RES integration planning and analysis, which remains an important engineering task.