Title:  A Fast Quasi Static Time Series Simulation Method using Sensitivity Analysis to Evaluate Distributed PV Impacts

Committee: 

Dr. Grijalva, Advisor     

Dr. Saeedifard, Chair

Dr. Graber

Abstract:

The objective of the proposed research is to develop a fast interconnection analysis tool that can quantify the impacts of installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in distribution feeders. The desire to reduce carbon foot print coupled with government incentives has led to a massive deployment of renewable energy resources, solar PV in particular. Electric utilities in United States face the challenge of numerous solar PV interconnection requests filed by customers, which seems to increase everyday. The approval process for an interconnection request often requires a detailed impact analysis to ensure that the installed resource will not adversely affect the reliability of the distribution grid. Currently, impact analysis for a single PV system using Quasi-Static Time Series (QSTS) simulation can take anywhere between 10-120 hours to complete, which becomes an infeasible option for utilities, considering the ever increasing number of interconnection requests. To better streamline the process, utilities use static scenario-based simulations to determine the maximum hosting capacity of distribution feeders. However, these hosting capacity estimates are very conservative because they don't take into account the voltage regulation equipment within the feeder. Consequently, in states like California and Hawaii, majority of the distribution feeders are reaching their maximum hosting capacity limits. Henceforth, customers in these regions are not allowed to install grid-tied PV systems, that otherwise would have no impact on the distribution feeder. This research aims to bridge this gap. The key contribution of this work is to utilize sensitivity analysis to speed up the traditional QSTS simulation and perform a detailed impact study of solar PV systems within a matter of minutes as opposed to several days.