Voltage control in distribution networks with high residential photovoltaic integration using cluster-based methods

Abstract A cluster-based voltage control method for distribution networks is proposed to address the issue of voltage violations caused by changes in source-load characteristics, especially in networks with a high penetration of residential solar power. Firstly, a comprehensive division index considering the electrical modularity index, coupling index, and power balance index is suggested to achieve the cluster division of the household photovoltaic distribution network with a high proportion. Secondly, among the nodes with energy storage systems in each cluster, the key control nodes in each cluster are selected by active power-voltage sensitivity. Furthermore, under the condition of considering the energy storage device power operations for charging and discharging, the voltage control model based on cluster division is constructed with the goal function being the least amount of network loss and voltage deviation. According to the power demand of the cluster where the node exceeds the limit voltage, the energy storage system at the key control node is preferentially operated to realize voltage control. Finally, the IEEE33 nodes with a high proportion of household photovoltaic and energy storage systems are analyzed to confirm the suggested method’s efficacy.