Impact of Rooftop Photovoltaics on the Distribution System

Abstract

This paper presents a review of the impact of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels on the distribution grid. This includes how rooftop PVs affect voltage quality, power losses, and the operation of other voltage-regulating devices in the system. A historical background and a classification of the most relevant publications are presented along with the review of the important lessons learned. It has been widely believed that high penetration levels of PVs in the distribution grid can potentially cause problems for node voltages or overhead line flows. However, it is shown in the literature that proper control of the PV resource using smart inverters can alleviate many of those issues, hence paving the way for higher PV penetration levels in the grid.