Evaluation of reactive power control capabilities of residential PV in an unbalanced distribution feeder

The use of residential PV grid-tie inverters to supply reactive power as a benefit to the distribution grid has been widely proposed, however, there is little insight into how much of a benefit can be achieved from this control under varying system operating points. This paper seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of a linearized versus nonlinear reactive power dispatch solution on a highly unbalanced distribution feeder under differing load profiles, insolation levels, and penetration rates of PV in the feeder. The results are analyzed to determine the system operating points that are favorable to reactive power control and the overall effectiveness of each solution in realistic feeder states.