High PV Penetration Impact on an Unbalanced Distribution Network

With the rapid development of power system and the attendant technological innovative progressions, the objective of accomplishing energy for all is never again a vision but a predictable reality. Therefore, the current grids are facing infrastructural alterations to accomplish the qualities of a smart grid. The structural and performance characteristics of the conventional power generation system is changing with the integration of renewable energy systems (RES) such as photovoltaic (PV) system. This study presents an overview prospect of RES integration in South Africa and evaluated the impact of the increased PV penetration on steady state performance of an IEEE 13 bus test system. Rooftop PVs are incorporated into a portion of a conventional generation source in MATLAB/Simulink environment in which the steady state voltages are examined at different levels of PV penetration. The simulation results clearly revealed the impact of the increased PV penetration on stable state stability.