Analysis of Electrical Power Quality in the Presence of Photovoltaic Distributed Generation: A Case Study

Abstract

An analysis of the power quality (PQ) at a point of common coupling (PCC) between a photovoltaic plant and a distribution electrical grid is presented in this work. This study, motivated from a sequence of episodes of power delivery interruption at the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA), aims to investigate the implications of the recent connection of a photovoltaic plant to the university’s electrical grid, considering some criterias established by ANEEL in module 8 of PRODIST, such as: voltage variations in steady-state conditions, voltage unbalance, power factor, frequency variation, voltage fluctuation, and harmonic distortions. Real data was collected through a power quality analyzer and analyzed in an offline way in Microsoft Excel. The results show a recurrent increase in voltage levels in steady state, exceeding the limits determined by PRODIST. The analysis highlight a possible relationship between voltage levels and the high insertion of distributed generation, especially at times when the power generated is much higher than the momentary load installed on the same network.