Dynamic network partition and voltage regulation method by PVs considering reactive power compensation benefits

• A network partitioning method is proposed to improve the voltage regulation efficiency of PVs. • The cluster reconfiguration model enhances the ability to address overvoltage issues by PV active power curtailment. • An aggregation method for network partitioning results is proposed to simplify computational complexity for partitioning. • The differentiated tariff strategy can motivate PVOs to participate in voltage regulation. • The proposed earnings game model reduces the RPC cost of the DSO and improves the RPC profits of PVOs. The technology of using photovoltaic (PV) inverters to generate reactive power for regulating voltage in distribution networks is becoming a research hotspot. However, from technical and economic perspectives, the PV has limitations in improving network voltage quality. Therefore, this study proposed a voltage regulation method using PVs based on dynamic network partitioning. First, a multi-stage dynamic partitioning method is proposed. In the first stage, a network partitioning method based on a coupling coefficient indicator system is used to identify the most sensitive area for reactive power compensation of each PV; in the second stage, a cluster reconfiguration model based on active power curtailment of PVs is used to improve the voltage quality—this costs the minimum amount of active power curtailment when the capacity of reactive power supply is less than the demand. In the third stage, an aggregation method for network partitioning results is used to define a new indicator for identifying the necessity of performing a recalculation partition, significantly reducing the calculation computation. Second, this study proposed a differentiated tariff strategy based on the reactive power contribution coefficient, ensuring that the PV owners (PVOs) who contribute more in reactive power can obtain more rewards, improving the activity of PVOs for voltage regulation. Third, the cooperative earnings game model for the participants based on Nash theory is proposed to maximize the profits of the two parties. Finally, the proposed method was verified using the modified IEEE 123 node test system, proving the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method.