Development of a new SVR for improving PVHC upon voltage drop phenomenon

Discussions on the installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the distribution grid to achieve carbon neutrality are underway. The maximum amount of PV that can be installed is referred to as the PV hosting capacity (PVHC), with one of the limiting factors being voltage deviation. To prevent voltage deviation, voltage regulator devices known as step voltage regulators (SVRs) have been installed in distribution lines. Moreover, the line drop compensation (LDC) method is commonly utilized along with SVRs to estimate and regulate line voltages. In distribution lines with excessive PV integration and long spans, a phenomenon of voltage drop has been observed owing to the significant phase difference between the substation voltage and passing current. The utilization of the LDC method along with SVR cannot effectively manage nonlinear voltage fluctuations, such as voltage drop phenomena, potentially resulting in a decrease in the PVHC owing to voltage estimation errors. Further, the inability to flexibly adjust set values poses a challenge. Therefore, we developed an SVR by utilizing a new voltage estimation formula (new control method). This study focuses on voltage management and assesses whether the PVHC can be enhanced by utilizing the new control method (the new SVR).