Optimal Hosting Capacity of Photovoltaic Sources for Tala Distribution Network with Harmonic Analysis

Abstract

The global energy utilization has a significant reliance on renewable energy sources (RESs). The decentralization of generation units is preferred due to the potential of reducing transmission losses and enhancing the network’s reliability. Among these sources are photovoltaic (PV) systems. The integration of PV plants into power systems gains significant attention. These PV sources are deployed in distribution networks as distributed generators (DGs). However, their integration has challenges concerning the hosting capacity (HC) of such sources in power networks. Additionally, the immense penetration of $\mathbf{P V}$ systems contributes to increasing the risk of harmonic distortion due to the employment of power electronic devices as PV inverters. To address these issues, this study proposes an optimization algorithm based on the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) to maximize the HC of PV modules in a practical Tala distribution network under different cases. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated against other well-known methods. Furthermore, harmonic analysis is conducted to assess the impact of inverter pulse types on network characteristics in compliance with IEEE 519 standards.