Influence of generator curtailment priority on network hosting capacity

Increasing penetration of distributed generation in distribution networks requires active constraint management to provide greater flexibility and use of existing network assets. Curtailing DG output under worse case scenarios to keep the network operating below voltage and thermal limits will play a major role in active network management. While a number of curtailment priority schemes are established there is a need to demonstrate the benefit of different priority schemes for curtailing multiple DGs. Comparing with `first in last out´ and other priority methods, this paper proposes and demonstrates that optimal setting of DG curtailment priority using multi-period OPF is not just technically appropriate but also economically beneficial. By extending this idea into the planning arena, the impact of curtailment management schemes on network hosting capacity is evaluated.