Power Quality Adverse Effects Assessment of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems

 

 Worldwide, grid-connected photovoltaic systems are be­ing installed at a growing rate, as it is known that this gen­eration source does not pollute nor contributes to global warming and climate change. Technology is advancing and photovoltaic cells are increasing in efficiency and photovoltaic- based generation is becoming more compet­itive when compared with traditional power plants gen­eration. Practical advantages of photovoltaic generation are, therefore, unquestionable. However, during the prac­tical operation of grid- connected photovoltaic systems several issues have arisen, which require their punctual analysis. For instance, the influence of this type of gener­ation on the stability, reliability and power quality of the electrical network requires to be analyzed in detail.

This work presents an assessment of power quality adverse effects during the operation grid- connected photovoltaic systems. Harmonics, total harmonic distortion, electro­magnetic transients, load transients and voltage sags are assessed. The modeling of the photovoltaic array model considers the maximum power point tracking controller, the voltage source DC/DC converter model with a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller, the DC/AC inter­connection converter for single-phase and three-phase analysis with sinusoidal PWM controller. The case stud­ies are reported with the use of the simulator PSCAD/ EMTDC®, widely accepted by the power industry.

Author(s): Aurelio Medina-Rios

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