Impact of high penetration of heat pumps on low voltage distribution networks

Heat pumps are vitally important for achieving low carbon and renewable energy targets. There is a rapid increase in heat pump installations in the UK and Europe in the last few years for their supporting role towards green energy and demand-side management. The increase in heat pump installation prompts research work on the impact of high penetration of heat pumps on the low voltage network. This paper includes experimental results, dynamic load modelling, comparison of experimental and simulation results for the model of the heat pump, modelling a test network and its simulation in DIgSILENT. The UK generic distribution network, which represents an urban distribution network, has been used for system simulation. s. Parameters such as starting current, voltage variations, active power, reactive power at various switching instances, impact of single-phase loading and the additional loading of the network are examined.