An Investigation to the Atmospheric Effects on Generating Harmonic Distortion in a Solar Farm

Due to the increasing penetration rate of solar systems in electrical power distribution networks, the technical studies are required on power quality standards of utility grid Caused by solar system effects. This paper investigates the solar system connected to the utility grid in the view of the harmonic effects. The effects of temperature and sunlight changes are discussed on the harmonics produced by solar cells and its effect on the distribution network and the performance of its various components. Furthermore, Analysis of the current THD is carried out for the two cases, using and without using sun tracker technology at the point of common coupling between the solar system and utility grid. Then, the results are compared with each other. The obtained harmonic distortion values are compared with the specified limits in the standard IEEE STD 519-1992. Finally, simulation results verify the environmental model of a photovoltaic system.