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Large-Scale Photovoltaic Solar Power Integration in Transmission and Distribution Networks

Rajiv K. Varma, Member, IEEE, Magdy Salama, Fellow IEEE , Ravi Seethapathy, Member IEEE, and Carole Champion
the world, where solar systems are installed, do not easily lend themselves to solving these problems. Adding to the problem complexity is the fact that Ontario power system network is one of the largest transmission systems in the world. The proposed technologies will be developed and validated under unique combinations of weather conditions (sun, snow and wind) for the Hydro One network. The outcomes of this project are expected to provide unique experience for more utilities in Canada and around the world for implementing solar PV technologies in their systems. As a result of this project, Ontario will see an increased and confident growth of large-scale renewable energy integration thus fulfilling Canadas commitment to reducing emission of greenhouse gases while meeting the energy demand of the province. The technological solutions derived in this project will lead to several commercialization opportunities. Overcoming the technological hurdles will result in eventual reduction in the price of solar power in Ontario. The indigenously developed technology will have a net lower cost as compared to importing it from abroad. This project will provide a thorough evaluation of existing land use policy instruments, their internal coherence, and their economic, environmental and energy outcomes. The project will further and most importantly, lead to the training of a large pool of high-quality personnel (especially, graduate students) and enlarged opportunities for investments in renewable energy for the economic growth of Ontario. II. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES The objective of this project is to provide a comprehensive solution to the issue of integrating large-scale Photovoltaic (PV) solar power plants in Ontario. The research will encompass the following major themes: A. Grid Interconnection of PV solar power systems: The grid interconnection studies will determine the acceptable penetration levels of PV power systems. The large solar power plants can potentially cause reverse power flows in the feeder transformers resulting in a host of problems that can adversely impact transformer operation. One of these situations is when the solar power generation is equal to the load on the feeder. The transformers then operate on purely inductive loading and tap changing gear gets seriously impacted by inductive current flows especially if faults occur

Abstract-- The province of Ontario in Canada has embarked on a major initiative to promote the grid interconnection of photovoltaic (PV) solar power systems. The Ontario Centres of Excellence, Centre of Energy, has recently approved a $6 million project for this purpose to a team of two Universities University of Western Ontario and University of Waterloo, together with the support of four major industry partners who are involved in this technology in Ontario. This paper will present the scope, objectives, research activities and commercialization potentials of this transformative project. Index TermsRenewable energy, PV solar power systems, transmission and distribution, grid integration, harmonics, reactive power, semiconductor technology, snow and wind loading, land usage policies

I. INTRODUCTION

his project is especially attractive for Ontario because of its distinctive power system distribution network. Many of the rural networks have very low load factor (load varies considerably during the day). These rural networks are usually the prime candidates for the installation of the renewable energy sources (Hydro One has currently more than one thousand applications to install renewable energy sources on these networks). These applications for interconnecting on these lines have triggered many challenging problems, such as, reverse power flow, increased power losses, protection coordination, switch gear ratings, transformer loading, and power factor control. Most of these problems are unique to the Ontario system. Current experiences in different parts of
This work is supported by a major grant from the Ontario Centres of Excellence Centre of Energy, under their Special Projects Initiative. Financial support from Hydro One Networks Inc., OptiSolar Farms Canada, London Hydro Inc., and Bluewater Power Corporation, are gratefully acknowledged. R.K. Varma is with Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A5B9, Canada (e-mail: rkvarma@uwo.ca) Magdy Salama is with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L3G1, Canada, (e-mail: msalama@hivolt.uwaterloo.ca) R. Seethapathy is with Hydro One Networks Inc. Toronto, ON, M5G2P5, Canada (e-mail: ravi.seethapathy@HydroOne.com) Carole Champion is with Ontario Centres of Excellence, Centre of Energy, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8K2, Canada, (carole.champion@oce-ontario.org)

978-1-4244-4241-6/09/$25.00 2009 IEEE

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during those periods. Voltage regulation issues and transient overvoltages will be studied on the grid/feeders connecting solar photovoltaic farms [1]. The optimal size, operation, and performance of a Photovoltaic (PV) system will be determined in utility integrated mode [2]. PV systems, when properly sized and placed, and made to produce suitable output power profile matching the feeder peak load, can reduce feeder losses [3], improve feeder voltage profile, and reduce lifetime operation and maintenance costs of transformer load tap changers. Randomness in the output power of PV systems can have adverse effects on the electric network. The research is further expected to lead to guidelines for deciding on the optimal size and preferred point of connection of large PV systems to the grid. The proposed research will also arrive at a new real-time set point schedule and unit commitment strategy to be used with a mix of renewable/non-renewable PVs and existing voltage and reactive power control equipment. The research will focus on determining the necessity, type and size of the energy storage system that has to be incorporated in the system to make the solar power dispatchable. In this project, robust DG interfaces, for both gridconnected and micro-grid modes of operation, that guarantee stable and high power quality injection under the occurrence of network disturbances and uncertainties, will be developed. The overall robust DG interface that fits both the gridconnected and micro-grid modes, will facilitate a safe plugand-play integration of DG units on existing distribution systems; hence increasing the penetration of DGs into existing utility networks. The interaction between the solar energy and other renewable sources will be investigated. For a given scenario (power demand, spot price, and availability of other energy sources), the optimal coordination will be designed according to different criteria, such as maximizing renewable energy, minimizing transmission losses, or increasing the stability of the overall system. Detailed studies will be conducted to determine the protection needs of PV systems as well as the electric grid to which these systems are connected. Special emphasis will be given to develop protection schemes during PV system islanding scenarios when the PV system continues to supply a part of network after that part has been disconnected from the main grid. Effective control systems will be designed for grid connection of PV systems for various power flow scenarios, and demand/ generation/ surplus conditions.

B. System Tools and Techniques for Network Management: The random variations of solar irradiance, due to environmental conditions such as passing clouds, causes fluctuations in the output power of PV systems, which are controlled to track maximum power. These stochastic variations can lead to voltage fluctuations at the point of connection to the electric network, as well as extra feeder losses. Comprehensive real-time models of weather and metrological data will be superimposed with the models of the PV solar arrays to obtain a true prediction of the solar power being transmitted to the grid. The impact of weather based variation in solar power can significantly impact the stability and operation of the grid. These aspects will be extensively studied and grid acceptable solutions will be developed. With the Ontario Power Authoritys recent introduction of the Standard Offers Program [4] there has been a significant increase in the number of investment proposals being received by the electric network companies, in particular Hydro One Networks, for approval of new investments in renewable energy generation capacities, including those based on wind and solar. The approvals are to establish their grid connectivity and injection of electrical energy into the Ontario electricity market- either directly into the pool market or to other customers through direct bilateral contracts. One of the project objectives will be to determine the role and contribution of new investments in solar power generation resources particularly to the Ontario power system, their penetration into the distribution grid, their impact on the electricity market prices, their possibility to participate in the electricity market auctions (either as a single entity or a group of generators). Several issues need to be addressed for PV sources to be fully and seamlessly integrated into power systems and associated markets, in particular, the problems of dispatchability, ancillary services, power quality, conservation and demand side management (CDM), and their effect on network stability and security, all in the context of competitive electricity markets. The issues of how power system stability and security are affected by solar power sources are of great relevance, particularly if the penetration levels of this generation technology are high. Their effect on frequency control and system stability is an issue, just as in the case of wind-power generation [5]. However, as the PV technology is likely to become more widely integrated into the grid, it is important to study the effect that solar-power generation has on network stability and security. This project will concentrate on developing proper models, simulating and studying stability issues in power systems with significant penetration of solarpower generation. This project will also concentrate on developing appropriate models and methodologies for the optimal management of

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solar power within the context of an energy hub, with the main objective of analyzing and optimizing the role that solar power may play on CDM programs. C. Power Electronic Interfaces for PV devices: This will involve development of innovative, cost-effective converter technologies required to convert the dc power obtained from PV solar arrays into three phase ac power needed to feed the grid. In this project, the control and Maximum Power-Point Tracking (MPPT) capability of new converter designs will be investigated [6]. The study will also seek appropriate modulation techniques to ensure high power quality and low losses. The performance and reliability of the proposed PV converter system in response to grid contingencies will be evaluated and protective controls proposed. While each converter associated with a set of solar panels may generate harmonics which do not exceed the internationally accepted IEEE 519 standards, a large scale connection of several converters in a realistic solar farm (in excess of 10 MW) may not ensure that the harmonics at the point of coupling are within acceptable limits. New schemes for harmonic cancellation/minimization will be studied and developed in this project. Special designs may be needed for transformers to interconnect the large set of converters to the grid, so that they do not traverse into the saturation region and mal-operate. The impact of ac system strength will have a major role to play in the successful operation of the converters, which will be studied in depth. Further, sufficient protection systems will be designed and developed to handle short circuits and other faults both on the converter and line sides. D. Photovoltaic Devices: Novel photovoltaic cell technology and solar panel design will be researched in this project. Improved textured conductive oxide coatings for solar panels will be investigated. This project will actively examine new technologies for development of high conversion efficiency PV devices. Since the projects mandate is to build a solar energy industry in Ontario with products having operational lifetime of 30 years or more, researchers will work in close coordination with partnering PV industry to develop new accelerated-test protocols for practically measuring such lifetime data and to overcome failure issues found in these tests. E. Snow and Wind Loading of Solar Arrays: A new dimension of this research will be snow and wind loading of the large solar arrays for determining the optimal design of solar arrays. The sophisticated Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel at University of Western Ontario (UWO) will be

utilized to investigate these issues which are unique to Ontario and Canada. A combined experimental (wind tunnel) and numerical (Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD) approach to determine wind-driven snow deposition and snow loading on solar panels in array configurations will be adopted. Wind Tunnel tests will run simultaneously for a large scale model of a solar panel in order to validate (benchmark) the numerical solutions. Solar panels will be instrumented with pressure taps to determine the wind loading. The tests will allow for optimizing the array geometry in order to minimize wind and snow loading. Materials failure analysis will also be performed while studying the snow and wind loading of solar arrays. F. Land Use Policies for PV Solar power systems This research program will also undertake a comprehensive analysis of the public policy environment for the solar power sector in Ontario and of the potential for private sector investment. Along with other provinces in Canada and states in the U.S., the Ontario government has recently adopted new environmental policies that seek to substantially increase the amount of renewable fuel power generation, including solar power, primarily through private sector participation. However, a number of policy issues have arisen which have created some uncertainty about the regulatory environment for solar power and of the ability of the government to achieve its stated aim of increasing private investment. First, since solar farms require large amounts of land, and preferably near urban centers in order to minimize transmission network costs to consumers, there is a potential conflict with existing zoning regulations. This stream of the research program will address these and other regulatory issues in detail, with the aim of assessing the overall quality of the regulatory environment. One direct output will be a series of public policy recommendations that build on the lessons from experiences so far in Ontario as well as from other jurisdictions in North America in establishing a viable solar power industry. This project will be executed by a 16 member strong research team comprises 10 faculty members from University of Western Ontario (UWO): five from Power Systems group in Electrical and Computer Engg. (ECE), two from the Boundary layer Wind Tunnel, two from Ivey School of Business and one from Surface Science Western. The team is strengthened by six faculty members from University of Waterloo (UW): five from Power Systems group and one from Semiconductor Devices group. The team is led by two Co-PIs Dr. Rajiv K.Varma and Dr. Magdy Salama.

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III. CONCLUSION This panel paper presents a major initiative of the province of Ontario in Canada to develop and commercialize comprehensive technologies for grid integration of large scale photovoltaic (PV) solar systems. The multitude of technical and policy challenges that will be addressed in this research project are enunciated. IV. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The contributions to this project from all the research team members (in alphabetic order) Drs. T. Bansal, K. Bhattacharya, C. Canizares, E. El-Saadany, J. Galsworthy, H. Hangan, G. Holburn, J. Jiang, M. Kazerani, L. Lau, G. Moschopoulos, T.S. Sidhu, Siva Sivoththaman, A.Yazdani, are gratefully acknowledged. The support from Dan McGillivray of OCE Centre of Energy, David Curtis of Hydro One Netwoks Inc., Dr. Vinay Sharma of London Hydro Inc, Peter Carrie of OptiSolar Farms Canada, Tim Vanderheide of Bluewater Power Generation Corporation; and Steve Colbert from OCE are sincerely appreciated. V. REFERENCES
[1] A. Woyte, V. Van Thong, R Belmans, J. Nijs, Voltage Fluctuations on Distribution Level Introduced by Photovoltaic Systems, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, Vol. 21, Issue 1, March 2006. [2] Badrul. H. Chowdhury, Optimizing the integration of photovoltaic systems with electric utilities, IEEE Trans on Energy Conversion, Vol. 7, No. 1, Mar. 1992, pp. 72-77 [3] T. Hoff and D.S. Shugar, The Value of Grid-Support Photovoltaics in Reducing Distribution System Losses, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, Vol. 10, No. 3, Sept. 1995. http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/ I. Erlich, K. Rensch, and F. Shewarega, "Impact of large wind power generation on frequency stability," Proc. IEEE-PES General Meeting 2006, June 2006, 8 pages. O. Alonso, P. Sanchis, E. Gubia and L. Mrroyo, Cascaded H-bridge multi-level converter for grid connected photovoltaic generators with independent maximum power point tracking of each solar array, IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference, PESC 2003, pp. 731-735.

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