Advantages and drawbacks of distributed generators reactive power regulation in the low voltage network

With more and more distributed generators (DG) in the utility networks, problems arise which were not predicted when the networks were designed. Reactive power generation of the DG units affects the voltage profile and power losses in the network. In order to be able to assess the situation, a combined MV and LV network simulation model was built, based on a real-case situation. Load-flow simulations with different reactive power management scenarios by the DG units were performed and are presented in the paper. Resulting voltage profiles and active power losses were compared for each scenario. A sensitivity analysis of the network based on voltage variations due to the active or reactive power variations of the DG units was also made.