Assessment of Volt/Var local control alternatives to allow more efficient integration of photovoltaic generation in long MV feeders: a hardware-in-loop approach

Medium voltage power feeders in rural areas are characterized by long distances and sparse loads that can be challenging for power utilities in terms of efficient operation, planning and power quality. This situation is exacerbated by the growing number of unpredictable and dispersed Distributed Generation (DG) such as photovoltaic (PV) in these regions, that can lead to network operational limits violations. This scenario challenges power utilities, which tend to deny DG connection requests without detailed studies on alternative parameterizations for feeder voltage control. To mitigate the issues related to the integration of DG into the grid, various technical alternatives of voltage and reactive power control (Volt/Var) can be implemented. This work presents the results of Volt/Var local control assessment based on OpenDSS simulations and validated in a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation platform, considering the integration of Intelligent Electric Devices (IEDs) for Volt/Var control within the Cyber Physical System (CPS) test bed of the Smart Grids laboratory at the University of São Paulo (USP). The simulations with real feeder highlight local control of Capacitor Banks and Step Voltage Regulators and the utilization of Smart PV inverters, providing recommendations for cost-effective planning to power utilities when considering DG integration.