Impact of Solar Panels on Power Quality of Distribution Networks and Transformers

This paper presents an investigation on the impact of solar panels (SPs) on the power quality of distribution networks and transformers. Both solar farms and residential rooftop SP are modeled with the distribution network according to Canadian Utility data. Total harmonic distortion of voltages and currents on both sides of the distribution transformer are monitored under different operation conditions. A laboratory setup employing a single-phase inverter and three-phase transformer is used to test system performance in the presence of phase unbalance and harmonics. Core and winding temperatures are measured under various loads. Simulation and experimentation results show that the performance of distribution networks and transformers under the impact of SPs is within standard limits.