Analysis of the Impact of Photovoltaic Generation on the Level of Energy Losses in a Low-Voltage Network

Due to the dynamic development of energy generation in photovoltaic installations, a reliable assessment of their impact on the level of energy losses in distribution networks is needed. For energy companies managing network resources, this issue has a very tangible practical aspect. Therefore, ongoing analyses of the level of electricity losses based on actual measurement data of prosumers are needed. In the paper, the influence of energy introduced by prosumer photovoltaic installations on energy losses in a low-voltage radial line is investigated. The issue is examined from three perspectives: 1. Focused on energy supplied into the low-voltage grid from photovoltaic installations; 2. the installations’ locations; and 3. the product of energy and distance from the power source. Comparative assessments are made of the examined aspects for 87 possible locations of prosumer installations in the tested low-voltage network. An analysis of energy losses is carried out both for the entire analysed network and separately for the line and the transformer. The changes in energy losses are influenced by both the power and the location of the photovoltaic installations. Based on the research findings, functions defining relative changes in energy losses in the low-voltage network are determined.