Reactive power compensation of self-induced voltage variations

The significant increase in renewable energy resources in distribution networks has introduced novel technical challenges to distribution system design and operation. The integration of intermittent DGs, like solar and wind, into the distribution network poses a challenge to the traditional voltage regulation strategies due to the alteration of power flow patterns, and the variability of the DG output. It is now commonly accepted that a high level of renewables penetration into the distribution networks would ultimately require the participation of DGs in voltage regulation. To date, no ideal approach exists for how the DGs can best contribute to the voltage regulation. This paper presents a new reactive power regulation method for the compensation of self-induced voltage variations. The proposed approach achieves sufficiently accurate voltage compensation with very little to no communication requirements. A further significant advantage is that this approach does not violate the restrictions imposed by standards.