The role of demand-side flexibility in harmonics-considered dynamic hosting capacity

In this paper, we analyse the potential of demand-side flexibility and the importance of considering higher-order harmonics in calculating distributed energy resources (DERs) hosting capacity in low voltage (LV) distribution networks. We step aside from traditional calculations, in which hosting capacity (HC) is assessed based on the worst-case scenario and calculate dynamic export and import limits, based on near real-time electricity consumption estimates. In the scenario without modelling higher-order harmonics, the results show that upward flexibility contributes to the increase of installed distributed generators since aggregated active power increases between 0.05 and 38%, depending on the case study. When import limits are calculated, dynamic HC (DHC) also increases due to the demand-side flexibility potential, with the impact even more significant than in the case of export. Introducing higher-order harmonics in the model leads to decreased DHC in the scenario in which export limits are calculated. The decrease happens not only because of the total harmonic distortion (THD) constraint but also due to the contribution of the higher-order harmonics to the root-mean-square (RMS) voltage value. When calculating dynamic import limits, harmonic voltages increase the RMS voltage magnitude and, that way, free up additional space for the DERs installation.