Impact of high penetration of PV generation on frequency and voltage in a distribution feeder

This paper presents an evaluation of the impact of various levels of photovoltaic (PV) power penetration in a distribution feeder connected to a simplified grid model (SGM). PV generation is implemented in second-by-second iterations with power output based on actual solar radiation and air temperature data. High penetration levels of intermittent PV generation (15% and 30%) are employed in a feeder-configured microgrid to evaluate grid frequency and voltage characteristics. In this study, only governor droop control is included in the proposed SGM without the secondary control action (known as load frequency control). Two different grid models (fast and slow grid), PV generation configurations (concentrated and distributed), and PV penetration levels (15% and 30%) are considered in the simulation studies. Simulation results indicate the impact of the aforementioned parameters on the system frequency and voltage. Results also reveal that distributed PVs in a wide geographical area with different weather regime have less impact on the frequency and voltage.