Enhancement of Volt-VAR Control Using Voltage Sensitivity in Grid-Connected Photovoltaics System

The penetration of photovoltaics (PV) in the electric power system increases to make the decarbonization step successful. However, high penetration causes an increase in the voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC) due to the reverse power flow. Volt-VAR control plays a vital role in regulating the voltage by adjusting the reactive power. This paper offers the development of volt-VAR control with voltage sensitivity. Voltage sensitivity is obtained from changes in PCC voltage caused by PV active power. Using voltage sensitivity, the control operation changes as the PV active power changes, giving the impression that the PV system is “responsible” for changes to the system. This study was verified by comparing the voltage profiles on without control, conventional control, and proposed control cases. The results show that the voltage profile caused by the proposed control is within the desired limits amidst the high PV output power.