Phase switching and phase balancing to cope with a massive photovoltaic penetration

This paper compares two methods that result in a more balanced operation of the electricity grid. A balanced distribution grid results in improved voltage profiles, a lower voltage unbalance and lower losses. The first method discusses the changing of the phase connection of single-phase customers. Optimization techniques with a constrained maximum number of changes show that this passive solution may be suitable for unbalanced grids. Secondly the effect of balancing three-phase PV-inverters is investigated. The proposed control consists of injecting the majority of the produced power in the phase with the highest power consumption, based only on local voltage information. Both methods are evaluated with extensive load flow simulations with real data.