Security of supply implication of residential photovoltaic panels in low voltage network

Residential photovoltaic (PV) panels are playing an essential role in the delivery of sustainable power systems. Major research has addressed the operation issues induced by PV panels, such as voltage problems. However, there is a lack of study on the security of supply implication of residential PV panels on the low voltage network. Hence, this paper introduces a framework of estimating the impact of using PV panels on the reliability indices practiced by the Distribution Network Operators in the UK. A self-supply scheme is proposed to employ residential PV panels by customers under the feeder-fault condition. A sequential Monte Carlo based methodology is used to estimate the reliability indices. A real UK distribution feeder is used to demonstrate the fundamental effects of using PV panels on a real low voltage network. It is found that using PV panels reduces the overall duration and unserved energy of interruptions during a year; however, due to the intermittency of PV generation during the period of resolving the feeder-fault, the annual frequency of interruptions is increased. The monthly study is also conducted as complement for the annual results to show the seasonal impacts of using PV panels on customer reliability.