Monte Carlo-based assessment of PV impacts on real UK low voltage networks

The penetration of residential photovoltaic (PV) panels is increasing particularly in those countries with special incentives. The total PV installed capacity in the UK has increased from negligible to 1.2 GW since the Feed-In Tariff scheme was created in 2010. As a result, Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are already experiencing voltage issues in low voltage (LV) feeders were clusters have appeared. This work proposes a Monte Carlo-based technique to assess the impacts of different PV penetrations on LV networks in order to estimate their corresponding hosting capabilities. Three-phase models of two real LV networks in the North West of England are studied considering 5-min resolution synthetic data for domestic load and PV generation. Voltage-related impacts are measured using the European Standard EN50160. Additionally, the importance of data granularity on the impact assessment is analyzed. Results for the studied LV networks indicate that feeders with greater lengths and larger number of customers tend to experience voltage issues with lower PV penetration levels. In terms of the granularity, it was found that hourly resolution analyses underestimate the voltage impacts of residential PV.