Impact assessment of PV systems on energy balance of power distribution system

Abstract

The photovoltaic microgeneration has become a promising technology in the national and international scenario. According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, the world capacity of photovoltaic (PV) generation has exceeded 130 GW in 2013. In Brazil, the publication of resolution #482/2012 by the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL) has the potential to drive the development of this technology, by allowing Brazilian customers to produce their own electric energy from renewable sources. As a result, this integration will impact the utility's energetic planning, since it modifies the total energy that must be provided to customers. Therefore, it is essential to include the potential consequences of the increasing PV penetration levels in the energy planning of distribution utilities. In this context, this project will study the photovoltaic generation impacts in the utility of long-term energy planning using time-series power flow studies with 1 to 5-year horizons. Specifically, the photovoltaic generation impact on load versus generation energy balance and on circuit losses will be studied. In addition, the impact of data granularity on the precision of results will be evaluated in an attempt to reduce the number of necessary studies for this long-term analysis. In this case, it becomes doable not only to consider the photovoltaic generation impact in the energy planning methodology currently employed by utilities but also to reduce the number of simulations required for this study.