US Experience with High Penetration Solar PV

Jeff Smith
Manager, Power System Studies
Workshop: Utility Experience with High Penetration PV
December 3, 2012

Overview
US Deployment of Solar PV
Technical Challenges
Overview of US Distribution Systems
Where PV is being installed
Limiting Factors for PV
Near Term Solutions
Key Challenges Moving Forward

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

US Deployment of Solar PV

10 Largest Utility Solar Profiles in US

CSP, No Storage

CSP, with 6-hr Storage

Solar PV

Dist. Solar PV (Estimate)

450,000
400,000
350,000

2020
2030

MW

300,000

Solar PV Capacity (MW)

Bulk
Distributed
42,430
25,328
121,915
97,736

250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
2010

2015

2020

2025

2030

2035

2040

2045

2050

Source: The Future of Solar and the Utility Business,

New York Electric Utility PV Workshop Sponsored by:
NYPA, EPRI and SEPA Nov 28, 2012

Source: DOE SV + EPRI

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

What are the Main Technical Challenges?

First you have to consider
distribution system design characteristics
where PV is being interconnected

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
# of feeders

# of feeders

Distribution Designs in North America

3 PH Backbone Length (mi)

1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0

# of feeders

0-5

5-10
10-15
Peak Load(MW)

800

>15

600
400
200

2000
# of feeders

Total Circuit Miles

1500
1000
500

# of line regulators

- Sample data set from US Utility

- No typical circuits
2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

More

Distribution Example 1
Substation

Primary Voltages by Phase

Key Characteristics
Voltage class: 15kV

Headroom

Peak Load: 7.5 MVA

Total 3Phase Miles: 6
Total 1-2Phase Miles: 6
Feeder Regulation:
- Substation LTC
- No feeder regulation
- Fixed cap banks
Total Customers: 600
Small footprint

= 1 km2

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Distribution Example 2

Key Characteristics

Headroom

Voltage Class: 15kV

Peak Load: 11 MVA
Total 3Phase Miles: 60
Total 1-2Phase Miles: 50
Longest Distance: 11 miles
Feeder Regulation
- Substation LTC
- 6 feeder regulators
- switched capacitor banks
Total Customers: 6700

*Previous Circuit

Large footprint

Same Scale

Substation
= 1 km2
2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

= Line Regulators
7

Where is PV Interconnected?

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Residential Rooftop
Secondary (LV) Overvoltage Due to Residential Rooftop PV

Impact at the Customer Level

Customers with PV fed from
same service transformer
Light-load conditions
Each PV system increases
secondary voltage few %
Results in overvoltage on
secondary

Number of utilities have seen secondary

overvoltages where PV customers are fed
from same transformer

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Large Scale PV Case Study 1

Voltage Impacts Due to Large Scale PV (1.7MW)

Some utilities experiencing number

of interconnect requests for 1 20
MW systems
Utilizing large open spaces such
as warehouse rooftops
Connected directly to distribution

285kW
190 kW

465 kW
760 kW

Measured Voltage as Function of PV Output

Overvoltage limit

No issues found if same PV Plant were

located only a few miles upstream.or
if the PV operated at off-unity
(inductive) power factor

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Large Scale PV Case Study 2

Minimal Impact on Grid Voltage due to PV (1.0 MW)
Measured Voltage as Function of PV Output
ANSI voltage limit

Existing PV has minimal

impact on feeder voltage

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

11

Whats the Limiting Factor for PV Penetration?

Two Distribution Systems with Different Limiting Factors

13.2

Feeder
Characteristics
Voltage (kV)

5 MW

Peak Load

6 MW

0.8 MW

Minimum Load
Minimum Daytime
Load
Existing PV (MW)

0.7 MW

Feeder A

Feeder A

1.1 MW
1.0

1 mi

Feeder B
12.47

0.7 MW
1.7

Only @
Substation

Feeder Regulation

28

Total Circuit Miles

58

7 mi2

Feeder Footprint

35 mi2

Protection
Limited

Yes, highly
regulated

Minimum Hosting Capacity

>3500 kW

Due to Voltage
Impacts

250 kW

777 kW

Due to
Protection
Limits

390kW

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

12

Feeder B

PV Site
4 miles from Sub

Substation

Capacitor Bank
Regulator

Voltage and
Protection
Limited

What are Some of the Near Term Solutions?

Smart inverters for providing grid support functions
Volt-Watt Control**

Volt-Var Control*

Volt-Var w/ Hysteresis**

Dynamic Var Control**

*Currently in OpenDSS
**available in OpenDSS Q1 2013
2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

13

Use of Smart Inverters for Mitigating Voltage Issues

Volt/var Control
Maximum Feeder Voltage (pu)

Maximum Feeder Voltages (pu)

Without Volt/var Control

ANSI voltage limit

5000 cases shown

Each point = highest primary voltage

Increasing penetration (kW)

Primary Voltage
Deviation
Primary
Over Voltage

Increasing penetration (kW)

PV Hosting Capacity (kW)
Without Volt/var With Volt/var
938
>2500
1323
>2500
1673
>2500
540
880
871
1464
1173
2418

1st violation
50% scenarios with violation
All scenarios with violation
1st violation
50% scenarios with violation
All scenarios with violation

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

ANSI voltage limit

14

160% increase in
hosting capacity
60% increase in
hosting capacity

Prevention of Unintentional Islands

Most inverters use
active anti-islanding
which rely on the
creation of an abnormal
voltage to detect island
formation

Conflicting

Grid support functions

are all about correcting
abnormalities in the
voltage/frequency to
maintain grid stability

Key communication based methods?

Direct transfer trip (DTT)
Power Line Carrier Permissive (PLCP)
Synchrophasor-based methods
Cost/ effectiveness/ reliability/ coverage area
2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

15

Key Challenges
Standards allowing for smart inverter function
implementations
Agreement on standard functions
Visibility of PV at the distribution level
Improved screening methods for new interconnection
requests
Circuit reconfiguration

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

16

Questions

Contact:
Jeff Smith
Manager, Power System Studies
EPRI
jsmith@epri.com

2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

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