1158
4, JULY 2015
Index-Based Assessment of Voltage Rise and Reverse
Power Flow Phenomena in a Distribution Feeder
Under High PV Penetration
Maryam Hasheminamin, Student Member, IEEE, Vassilios G. Agelidis, Senior Member, IEEE,
Vahid Salehi, Senior Member, IEEE, Remus Teodorescu, Fellow, IEEE, and Branislav Hredzak, Senior Member, IEEE
AbstractThe proliferation of photovoltaic (PV) generation in
low- and medium-voltage distribution networks is expected to con-
tinue. Qualified studies can quantify adverse impacts of high PV
penetration on distribution networks and assist utilities in deci-
sion making. This paper proposes an index-based methodology
for assessing the impact of high solar PV generation, considering
the reverse power flow and voltage rise phenomena. Indices are
defined that link these two phenomena and their impact on the
voltage profile across the feeder. This assessment relies on detailed
modeling of the network and the solar PV generation components,
which are performed over a 24-h window. Results are presented for
a modified 13-bus IEEE test network, emulating a weak network
with three-phase balanced loads. This methodology can only be
applied to three-phase balanced networks. Actual insolation lev-
els and load profiles are used to confirm the effectiveness of the
proposed indices. This paper derives the acceptable range of the
proposed indices and safe margin, which have been compared with
the basic active power curtailment method with no constraint, in
order to avoid voltage rise. The IEEE 69-bus network is also mod-
ified and assessed for voltage rise due to reverse power flow and
compared before and after applying the proposed methodology.
Index TermsDistributed power generation, electricity dis-
tribution network, inverters, photovoltaic (PV) systems, reverse
power flow (RPF), solar power generation, voltage control, voltage
rise (VR).
I. INTRODUCTION
HE impact of ever-increasing interconnection of a solar
T photovoltaic (PV) generation in low- and medium-voltage
distribution networks may include issues such as [1] changes
in voltage profile over a feeder, including voltage rise (VR)
and imbalances; overloading of feeder components; increased
operation of voltage control devices, such as load tap changers
and line-voltage regulators; voltage fluctuation, such as flicker
and other power-quality-related issues; protection conflict due to
Manuscript received August 27, 2014; revised March 11, 2015; accepted
March 20, 2015. Date of publication May 4, 2015; date of current version June
18, 2015.
M. Hasheminamin, V. G. Agelidis, and B. Hredzak are with the School
of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of New
South Wales, Sydney, N.S.W 2052, Australia (e-mail: m.hasheminamin@
unsw.edu.au; vassilios.agelidis@unsw.edu.au; b.hredzak@unsw.edu.au).
V. Salehi is with the Department of R&D, Power Analytics Corporation, San
Diego, CA 92127 USA (e-mail: vsalehi@ieee.org).
R. Teodorescu is with the Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg Uni-
versity, 9100 Aalborg, Denmark (e-mail: ret@et.aau.dk).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2015.2417753
2156-3381 2015 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See http://www.ieee.org/publications standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, VOL. 5, NO.
temporary overvoltage; increased losses due to possible reverse
power flow (RPF); and reduced overall network reliability.
With high penetration levels of solar PV generation, the
above issues may be exacerbated. For example, VR in tradi-
tional, radial, and weak distribution networks may rise above
1.1 p.u. In this case, standards dictate that PV inverters be
disconnected from the network, resulting in loss of renewable
energy generation [2]. Utilities aim to increase the level of
PV penetration within their network as much as technical
restrictions allow. Therefore, the more accurately the impact
of high penetration levels of PV generation in distribution
networks is assessed, the higher the level of PV generation that
can be connected to the network without risking the systems
operational and the technical limitations.
In [2], the impact of high PV penetration levels on dynamic
voltage stability was discussed. In [3], a project update on the
Southern California Utility impact of high penetration levels of
solar PV was reported. In [4], the impact of high PV penetration
level in a network was analyzed. In [5], a PV-integrated net-
work of Western Australias South-West interconnected System
was studied. In [6] and [7], geographically small networks with
high penetration power were analyzed. In these studies, dynamic
models and climate changes were considered. Dynamic imbal-
ances and cloud changes were also considered, but VR was not
discussed. In [8], an analytical dynamic model for both PV and
the network was used to analyze potential voltage flicker due to
high PV penetration levels.
Recently, a number of technical papers were published that
proposed indices for assessing a network performance under
condition of RPF with high PV penetration. In [9], indices were
defined to evaluate the real-time impact of high PV penetration
on the network through monitoring. In [10], a symbolic aggre-
gate approximation algorithm was proposed to characterize and
analyze the large amount of data associated with wide variations
of load and solar PV generation in a given distribution network
to provide real-time assessment of the networks dynamic perfor-
mance. In [11], a simplified grid model with concentrated and
distributed PV generation was used along with actual solar radi-
ation and air temperature data to define indices associated with
frequency and governors characteristics to assess network per-
formance. In [12], a different index linking the size and location
of a PV system and its impact on Joule losses in a radial distri-
bution feeder was documented. In [13], an index was defined to
help with estimating the maximum allowable PV penetration.
In [14], the impact of high PV penetration in a distribution net-
HASHEMINAMIN et al.: INDEX-BASED ASSESSMENT OF VOLTAGE RISE AND REVERSE POWER FLOW PHENOMENA 1159

work was studied for dynamic instability through small-signal

assessment. However, no technical paper thus far has utilized
indices to link VR and RPF, nor to assess the impact of high PV
penetration in radial distribution feeders.
The objective of this paper is to propose an index-based as-
sessment (IBA) methodology for VR due to high penetration
of solar PV generation in radial distribution networks. First, an
RPF is mathematically modeled. Since insolation and solar PV
power generation are time-variant phenomenon, former indices
do not provide a clear insight into the VR problem over time; in
this paper, indices are proposed and assessed over a 24-h time
frame. This paper reports the results of a comprehensive VR
impact study using a modified 13-bus IEEE network, emulating
a weak traditional network, over a 24-h window of varying PV
generation and load profiles with high PV penetration. To emu-
late high penetration of PV, the amount of PV installed at each
node is assumed to be equal to the maximum actual active local
load. This is due to the customers tendency to cover as much
of their local load as possible with PV generated power plus Fig. 1. Modified 13-bus IEEE network simulated.
distribution network manager (DNM) preference for higher PV
penetration into the grid.
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Section II
provides a mathematical analysis of RPF and the resulting VR,
and defines new indices for assessing VR. Different case studies
are defined in Section III along with the proposed methodology
for using the indices. In Section IV, the correlations between
indices, networks parameters and VR are discussed, and com-
parison between IBA method and basic active power curtailment
(BAPC) is presented. Section V concludes this study.
Fig. 2. Typical pair of nodes in distribution feeder with domestic loads and
grid-connected PV.
II. NETWORK SPECIFICATION AND ANALYTICAL ASPECTS
A. Network Specification The parameters Pm and Qm are representing the net active and
A modified 13-bus network, including both 4.16- and 0.48-kV reactive power of local load and PV powers that can be absorbed
medium- and low-level voltages and components, such as ca- or injected into the grid at typical node m and can be calculated
bles, lines, and capacitors are considered [2], [15]. Since the so- by (1). Pr and Qr are the transmitted active and reactive power
lar insolation varies slowly compared with grid voltage dynam- between nodes m and n, respectively. Each PV-connected node
ics, the study time frame is steady state. The network is designed in the distribution network is considered to be a constant power
to operate within the normal operating conditions according to control node in load-flow calculations
grid codes, EN50160 [16] and IEC61727 [17], [18]. The inverter 
N



under- and overvoltage limits are, therefore, 0.85 and 1.1 p.u., re- Pm = | U m || U n |(Gm n . cos(m n ) + Bm n . sin(m n ))
spectively. Fig. 1 depicts the modified 13-bus IEEE network to- n =1
gether with the PV coupling nodes. The network data and details

N



can be found in [19] and [20]. A real insolation profile can be ap- Qm = | U m || U n |(Gm n . sin(m n ) Bm n . cos(m n ))
plied as an input, while the PV model has an inverter-controlled n =1
output. The methodology is applicable to any balanced network
(1)
of any size, small or large, but the IEEE 13-bus network is con-     
sidered in this paper for the following reasons: 1) modified to Pm JP JP U
= (2)
emulate a weak network and 2) applicability, meaning that if Qm JQ JQ U U
such impact is studied successfully in a small network like the
13-bus one, the case of a larger one would also be covered. where Gm n is the real part, Bm n is the imaginary part of the
element in the bus admittance matrix YBUS corresponding to the
nodes m and n, m n is the difference in voltage angle between
B. Mathematical Analysis of RPF and VR nodes m and n, the Jacobian matrix J represents the partial
Analyzing the RPF and the VR phenomenon, a typical pair derivatives of the active and reactive powers due to voltage


of distribution feeder nodes with domestic loads Pdl and Qdl change in U and phase angle , P pv is the PV generated


and rooftop grid-connected PV generation are shown in Fig. 2. power, and U m is the voltage at node m.
1160
Fig. 3. Voltage vectors of two adjacent nodes in typical network m and n.
To understand and control the VR phenomenon as a result of
RPF, mathematical analysis is necessary. Considering the pro-
tective settings of the inverters relay, when the voltage exceeds
set limits, the inverter should be disconnected. Furthermore, VR
may occur not only at the end point but at any point along with
the feeder as well. It can also be detected in a nearby or adjacent
node. Clarifying this phenomenon, vector changes for a typical
pair of nodes m and n are depicted in Fig. 3, followed by de-
tailed mathematical equations for VR in such situations. U
consists of real and imaginary components, U Re and U Im
as given in (3). Variables r and x are the total real and imaginary
parts of the interconnecting line impedance r + jx, and is the
angle between U n and I , which is the reverse-injected current
toward the grid
U = U m U n = U Re + U I m (3)
from Fig. 3, it can be concluded that
| U Re | = r.| I |. cos + x.| I |. sin
| U Im | = x.| I |. cos r.| I |. sin (4)
by applying active and reactive power into (3) and (4), we obtain
r.Pr + x.Qr
| U Re | =
|U n|
x.Pr r.Qr
| U Im | =
. (5)
|U n|
As per (5), the amount of voltage differences depend on r, x,
Pr , and Qr . Since the voltage phase difference between two
adjacent buses is small in DN feeders; therefore, by assuming
| U Im |  | U Re | (6)
we obtain
r.Pr + x.Qr
| U | | U Re | =
. (7)
|U n|
This means that the VR due to the reverse power from node m
toward node n can be derived from (8) at each point. Changes of
voltage depend on the active and reactive power, in particular,
the ratio of r/x. This is expected since in distribution networks,
the ratio of r/x is relatively high in comparison with transmis-
sion networks. Therefore, changes in an active power will have
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, VOL. 5, NO. 4, JULY 2015
more impact on voltage values. We are already familiar with
the concept of controlling channels: P, f and Q, U in load-flow
aspects. Accordingly, in residential areas with a high r/x ratio,
both controls seem to be interconnected. Therefore, they can
be utilized in future VR mitigation studies for distribution net-
works with high PV penetration. Consequently, the voltage at
each point of a distribution network is a function of the load-flow
resultant active and reactive power, as can be described by
Um = f (Pm , Qm ). (8)
C. Sensitivity Analysis and Critical Point Assessment
When it comes to the penetration of renewable distributed
generation, the policies of DNM matter. Typically, the DNM
wants to inject as much solar power into the grid as possible.
Therefore, it is preferable not to apply any global restriction to
all PV sources in the network. Preferably, critical nodes in the
network should be identified and investigated with mitigation
methods to improve their performance with respect to RPF. By
proper assessment, the DNM can target those nodes to prevent
or mitigate the VR issue. Indices should be defined accurately.
Simplicity and effectiveness are important to help the DNM
with making easier and more-efficient decisions. Definition of
proper indices in order to target sample nodes and assess the
occurrence of VR and RPF and making decision about the level
of PV penetration at pinpointed nodes are discussed in this paper.
Upon analysis, which was discussed previously, primary as-
sessment is implemented for weak and critical nodes of the
network to be pinpointed and monitored. After data acquisition,
of the network load flow, corresponding equations for voltage
deviation due to changes in active and reactive power are derived
by utilizing Jacobian matrices and sensitivity analysis. To assess
the impact of RPF on VR, those most susceptible network nodes
are monitored and assessed through indices and a safe margin
(SM) for PV penetration profile can be estimated accordingly.
By involving the computation of eigenvalues of the steady-
state Jacobian matrix, (2), the relationship of Q, U and P, f in
the network can be retained. Right and left eigenvectors are then
computed using (9)(14).
For transforming the modal voltage U R J back to physical
z
node voltages, (9) should be multiplied by the z component of
R J
vector modal voltages U z
TJ = [U1 ... U13 ]. (9)
Therefore, the physical node voltages caused by mode z are
R J
UR J = Uz U z
(10)
where TJ is the transforming matrix for the modal voltages Um ,
and UR J is the right eigenvector of the modal voltages and shows
how well a certain mode can be observed by voltage magnitude
at a certain node. Similarly, the inverse transformation matrix
corresponds to the left eigenvectors complying with
WzT J S = z WzT J (11)
TL J
where W is the left eigenvectors, showing how each mode
can be influenced by a quantity. S and are the sensitivity matrix
and eigenvalue, respectively. The inverse transformation matrix
HASHEMINAMIN et al.: INDEX-BASED ASSESSMENT OF VOLTAGE RISE AND REVERSE POWER FLOW PHENOMENA
can also be expressed as
W1T
.
TJ1 =
. .
(12)
.
T
W13
Therefore, each left eigenvector relates a vector of physical
quantities to a certain mode
Lz J = WzT J QL J
Q (13)
where the left eigenvector QL J defines how each mode can be
influenced by a physical quantity. The left and right eigenvec-
tors corresponding to the smallest eigenvalue (critical mode) of
the system can confer information regarding the mechanism of
voltage performance by identifying the element participating in
the corresponding mode. Consequently, we can extract another
factor Cz m for each node m, which is defined by the product of
the left and right eigenvectors for mode z as
Cz m = Wz m Uz m . (14)
The sum of Cz m of all nodes corresponds to the scalar product
of left and right eigenvector and must, therefore, be equal to
1. Cz m of node m to mode z is, therefore, defined as in (15)
and can predict areas or nodes in the power system susceptible
to VR. Nodes with a large Cz m index correspond to the most
critical nodes of the network. Later, close proximity of the top-
ranked nodes is shown to correspond to a known weak area of
the network
Cz m = 1
for m = 1, . . . , 13. (15)
By employing (15), the amount of contribution from each node
to the total amount of reverse power injected reversely toward
the source is calculated. This requires introducing a new index
called the power balance index (PBI). Accordingly, we need to
detect the situation, where the generated PV power surpasses
the domestic active load, and the excess power is injected into
the network reversely. PBI is defined as
PBIm = Ppv,m Pdl,m (16)
where Ppv,m , Pdl,m are the PV generated active power and
domestic active load, respectively, in node m and PBIm is the
corresponding index. The second defined index is named as a
feeding index (FI). This index determines the percentage of the
local load in each node that is fed by the PV generation and is
defined by (17) for each node m
Ppv,m
FIm = k. (17)
Sdl,m
where k represents the ratio of maximum capacity of solar PV
generation at each node and is called the maximum PV penetra-
tion level. The value of k can vary from 20% to 100%. Sdl,m is
the apparent power of the local domestic load. To differentiate
1161
Fig. 4. Pie chart showing distribution of RPFCI values across the 13-bus
network.
the normal load-flow condition from RPF, PBI is monitored and
classified into three different states, as shown by
PBI < 0, Normal-feeding
PBI = 0, Critical-feeding (18)
PBI > 0, Over (RPF)
when PBI is greater than zero, the excess power will be injected
into the grid reversely toward the source, which is called RPF
condition. The RPF can cause VR, which can force the PV
inverter to switch OFF. The VR due to RPF is given by U
in (8). Moreover, considering the concept of the PBI, the cumu-
lative overflow power (COP) in the distribution network can be
computed by
(COP) = PBIm = (Ppv,m Pdl,m ). (19)
The COP is the total amount of excess PV power considering
the worst-case scenario when peal PV power generation coin-
cides with low load. Accordingly, the worst-case scenario is
considered as the basis of BAPC method with no constraint to
control the PV penetration to avoid VR. As in [21][23], sug-
gested power curtailment methods were compared with such
basic curtailment policy. BAPC is defined in percentage as
Ppv,m COP
BAPC = 100. (20)
Ppv,m
Furthermore and based on the above discussion, another index
is defined, which is called the RPF contribution index (RPFCI).
The RPFCI of each node corresponds to the scalar product of
Cz m and COP and is calculated by
RPFCIm = Cz m COP. (21)
The RPFCI values for all nodes are depicted in Fig. 4.
Applying the above assessment algorithm to the 13-bus net-
work, dU/dP and dU/dQ diagrams are extracted and depicted
in Fig. 5.
As shown in Fig. 5, the voltages of nodes 634 and 652 are the
most sensitive to changes in active and reactive power, respec-
tively. To integrate the concept of voltage sensitivity with RPF
and the contribution of each node in that phenomenon, dU/dP
and dU/dQ values are multiplied by the RPFCI indices. These
indices are named as an active power impact on voltage index
(APIVI) and reactive power impact on voltage index (RPIVI).
1162 IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, VOL. 5, NO. 4, JULY 2015

Fig. 5. Sensitivity analysis of 13-bus network dU/dP and dU/dQ.

Fig. 6. APIVI and RPIVI for a 13-bus network.

Both of these indices are depicted in Fig. 6. Observing how

APIVI and RPIVI correlate with dU/dP and dU/dQ leads to
selection of the critical node to be monitored, as mentioned
previously.

III. METHODOLOGY
Emulating the concept of high solar PV penetration in the
modified 13-bus network, the maximum PV generation capac-
ity is assumed to be equal to the maximum amount of actual
three-phase domestic load that is connected to that node. The
simulated network allows running a 24-h timely study and ex-
ploring different scenarios. Given that behavior of residential
and commercial loads depends on many parameters, it is al-
most impossible to create a global generic model for the loads. Fig. 7. Flowchart of RPF and VR.
Therefore, a generic PV generation profile extracted from real
insolation profile based on cross correlations between weather analysis runs and indices are computed in step 2, which ends
variables in Australia, specifically in Sydney in the month of with selection of the critical node. In step 3, the power balance
June, is applied to all PV sources in the 13-bus network [24]. status for the selected node is assessed and VR monitored. The
Moreover, real Australian residential and industrial load profiles IBA method is then completed in step 4 by calculating the
for NSW [19], [20] are also considered. indices and determining the permitted penetration profile for
The IBA methodology of VR due to RPF is depicted in the that node upon SM.
flowchart of Fig. 7. The flowchart depicts four major steps in
the IBA methodology of RPF in the 13-bus network: IV. INDEX-BASED IMPACT STUDY ASSESSMENT AND OUTPUT
1) power flow data acquisition;
A. Basic Assessment
2) sensitivity analysis and index-based node selection;
3) PBI evaluation and VR detection; Before going through the IBA methodology, as a general
4) decision making and penetration control. assessment of VR in the modified 13-bus network, a basic case
Load-flow data, including powers, voltage and phase, and PV- study is implemented. The voltage profile of all 13 nodes without
generated power at each node, are acquired in step 1. Sensitivity PV generation is depicted in Fig. 8. It can be seen from this
HASHEMINAMIN et al.: INDEX-BASED ASSESSMENT OF VOLTAGE RISE AND REVERSE POWER FLOW PHENOMENA
Fig. 8. Voltage profile of the modified 13-bus network without PV generation.
Fig. 9. Voltage profile of modified 13-bus network with high PV generation.
Fig. 10. Ausgrid monthly report of a daily average solar generation for 2013.
figure that all network nodes are operating within the normal
range (i.e., between 0.85 and 1.1 p.u. [16], [17]), while the
loads are assumed to be at their maximum value and constant.
For comparison, Fig. 9 shows the voltage profile when the PV
generation is connected to the network.
It can be concluded from Figs. 9 and 10 that VR definitely
happens in this network at high PV penetration levels. Later, the
IBA method runs step by step, and case studies are defined and
implemented considering outputs.
As mentioned earlier, the month of June is selected, when VR
is least likely to occur due to the minimal amount of insolation
during the day in Australia (see Fig. 11). On the other hand,
the month of January was selected for the load profile as this
is the month when the loads are maximal. Hence, if the results
1163
Fig. 11. Voltage with a real industrial load and insolation or node 634.
show that the VR occurs in this situation, then there is a high
probability of its occurrence in other months of the year.
Primarily in step 1 of the IBA methodology, load-flow data
for the 13-bus grid are acquired, which feeds into step 2. In
step 2, sensitivity analysis and indices are computed to identify
the proper node to study. In step 3, the power balance status of
the network is evaluated and RPF assessment is implemented.
Parameter k, which represents the level of penetration is as-
sumed to be equal to 1. In the case of VR detection, discrete
levels of k will be applied to determine the SM of penetration
for each load. A decision should then be made in step 4 about
the penetration profile or any other controlling procedure, which
can be investigated in future studies.
Fig. 5 shows a pie chart of the RPFCI of the different nodes
in 13-bus network, which represents contribution of each node
to the total reverse power. Node 634 appears to have the least
contribution to RPF among all nodes. Hence, if there is VR for
node 634, there is a strong possibility of VR for other nodes with
a higher contribution to RPF. In this regard, a sensitivity study
was conducted to calculate the voltage of node 634 to extract
dU/dP and dU/dQ. The results are shown in Fig. 6. Node 634
has the highest sensitivity to P , while node 652 has the highest
sensitivity to Q.
Considering the RPFCI values and applying them to the 13-
bus sensitivity study, new diagrams are generated, as shown in
Fig. 7, namely the active power impact on voltage index (APIVI)
and the reactive power impact on voltage index (RPIVI). Ana-
lyzing the trend in changes in APIVI and RPIVI, it can be seen
that even after modulating the twin diagrams with RPFCI, node
634 still has the highest value in terms of the impact of active
power changes on voltage. Therefore, node 634 is identified
for assessment with respect to VR due to RPF in the 13-bus
network.
B. Voltage Assessment for Node 634 With Industrial Load
and Sydney Insolation
Fig. 11 depicts the voltage of node 634 and the active PV
power when Sydney insolation and an industrial load are con-
sidered. The level of PV capacity connected to all nodes is
assumed to be 100%, which results in k = 1 in calculations. As
1164
Fig. 12. FI and PBI for node 634 with industrial load.
Fig. 13. Voltage with real residential load and insolation for node 634.
Fig. 14. FI and PBI for node 634 with residential load.
shown in Fig. 11, when the level of insolation and, consequently,
the PV power generation increases, V634 increases. VR occurs
for about 1.5 h in the middle of the day between 11 am and 1 pm.
To assess node 634 for RPF and VR, the IBA method is applied.
Fig. 12 shows PBI and FI for node 634 over a 24-h window.
C. Voltage Assessment for Node 634 With Residential Load
and Sydney Insolation
In a second scenario, a real residential load profile was applied
to all load nodes of the modified 13-bus network. The load and
insolation profile and the output voltage for node 634 are shown
in Fig. 13. Fig. 14 shows the PBI and FI of node 634 over the
24-h window. Analyzing the correlation of the two indices in
Fig. 14, it can be seen that between 9 am and 3 pm, the PBI is
positive and RPF occurs, which results in VR at node 634.
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, VOL. 5, NO. 4, JULY 2015
Fig. 15. Five levels of total PV penetration based on Sydney insolation versus
fixed reduced penetration.
Fig. 16. V634 for different PV penetration levels with an industrial load
profile.
Fig. 17. V634 for various penetration levels with a residential load profile.
D. Applying PV Penetration Trend to Industrial Load
To investigate the impact of discrete levels of PV generation,
five different levels of PV output were considered, namely
20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of the maximum active
local load value. Parameter k takes into account these values
when calculating FI for the network performance assessment.
Fig. 15 shows the PV power output profile for these five levels.
The bold red graph in Fig. 15 represents the BAPC of 24%,
as calculated by (21). These PV penetration levels are then
applied to 13-bus IEEE network with industrial and residential
loads, respectively. The voltages of node 634 are depicted in
Figs. 16 and 17 consequently for different discrete levels of PV
penetration: k = 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 0.8, and 1.0. With respect to the
HASHEMINAMIN et al.: INDEX-BASED ASSESSMENT OF VOLTAGE RISE AND REVERSE POWER FLOW PHENOMENA
Fig. 18. FI versus time and penetration level with a residential load.
above penetration trend, the PV generation profile is applied
to the network with industrial load. V634 is depicted in Fig. 16
for different discrete levels of PV penetration: k = 0.2 1
E. Applying PV Penetration Trend to Residential Load
Similarly, different levels of PV penetration were considered
with residential loads connected. Fig. 17 shows changes in
the voltage at node 634 owing to changes in the level of PV
penetration.
V. DISCUSSION
In this paper, several scenarios have been assessed in relation
to the effects of high PV penetration on VR in feeders of a typical
distribution network. After primary selection of the proper node,
the IBA method was applied by assessing VR due to RPF in that
node through computing PBI and FI indices. Figs. 12 and 14,
which depict the PBI and FI in the presence of industrial and
residential loads, respectively, show the circumstance of how
RPF causes VR. In Fig. 12, it can be seen that for FI values
between 0.9 and 1.1 and PBI values between 0.04 and 0.12,
VR occurs when industrial loads are considered. Similarly, in
Fig. 14, for an FI between 0.9 and 1.8 and a PBI between 0.25
and 0.275, VR occurs in the presence of residential loads. As
shown in these figures for 100% PV penetration (k = 1), VR
occurs around midday at the peak of insolation.
Experimenting the impact of different levels of PV penetra-
tion, discrete steps of 20% to 100% for total PV penetration
were applied, as depicted in Fig. 16. Fig. 17 shows that when
industrial loads are considered, VR occurs for 80% and 100%
levels of PV penetration for more than 2 and 4 h, respectively.
Similarly, as shown in Fig. 18, in the presence of residential
loads, VR occurs for 3 to 7 h during the day for 20% to 100%
PV penetration. Considering the industrial and residential load
profiles, the industrial load profile appears to provide better cor-
relation with the window for PV power generation, resulting in
a lower likelihood and magnitude of VR.
Comparing the results of the two cases with an industrial or
residential load profile, it can be concluded that residential load
profile in the presence of high PV generation is much more
likely to cause VR than the industrial load profile. Examining
in particular the times at which VR occurs shows that this is
because of the different peak hours of consumption during the
day. This fact leads this study to investigate the 3-D correlation
1165
Fig. 19. Fixed curtailment versus adaptive IBA curtailments for industrial
load.
Fig. 20. Fixed curtailment versus adaptive IBA curtailments for residential
load.
between FI, k, and time, which is shown in Fig. 18. As can be
seen, with a residential load, to maintain FI between 0.9 and 1.8
at node 634, k should not exceed 40% during certain hours of the
day, while penetration can still been kept up to 80% and 100%
for other hours to keep the voltage at node 634 safely within
the standard criteria in an RPF. Hence, the SM for k at node
634 with a residential load is 060%. The IBA methodology for
estimating the SM for PV penetration can be developed for the
remaining nodes in the modified 13-bus IEEE network.
To highlight the advantage of an IBA methodology, percent-
age of PV power penetration is compared between BAPC and
IBA. In Fig. 15, the bold red line shows the permitted PV pen-
etration level upon BAPC. In Fig. 19, reduced PV-generated
power upon IBA is depicted versus BAPC penetration at node
634 in the presence of an industrial load. Similarly, Fig. 20 de-
picts IBA resultant penetration versus BAPC penetration in the
presence of residential load at same node.
Finally, these two approaches for avoiding VR due to RPF
are evaluated and compared in Table I. According to resultant
percentages, IBA methodology allows much more penetration
levels in different hours of a typical day, while BAPC allow max-
imum of constant 24% of PV penetration in most sunny hours of
the same day. By observing Figs. 19 and 20, penetration levels
are defined in certain steps, which results in broken curves. This
curve of insolation can become smoother by defining smaller
and more steps of penetrations.
In order to assess the VR issue in a larger network when
PV penetration is high, the simulated 69-bus network has been
1166 IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, VOL. 5, NO. 4, JULY 2015

TABLE I
EVALUATION OF ACTIVE POWER CURTAILMENT METHODS TO AVOID VR

Strategy Permitted penetration [%]

BPCL method 24.44% for all nodes

IBA 0:08: 100%; 89 and 1516: 80%; 910 and
methodologyResidential 1415: 60%; 1014: 40%; 1624: 100%
load
IBA 0:010: 100%; 1011 and 1314: 80%; 1113:
methodologyIndustrial 60%; 1424: 100%
load

Fig. 21. Modified test case of an IEEE 69-bus network

Fig. 23. Comparing the 24-h voltage profile of node 20 among other PV
network buses before (a) and after (b) controlled PV penetration.

methodology can be extended to other nodes of the IEEE 69-bus

Fig. 22. A 24-h voltage profile for all nodes in 69-bus network without PV
penetration.
assessed before and after integrating solar PV generation into
it. Fig. 21 shows mentioned modified 69-bus network in a 24-h
window for all nodes. The level of PV penetration is adjusted on
62%, which creates VR in this network. The 24-h voltage profile
of all buses is depicted in Fig. 22 before any PV unit come into
service. Respectively, Fig. 23(a) shows the same voltage profile
in the presence of all PV generation units, and as can be seen,
VR happens for a number of buses. Fig. 23 also compares 24-h
voltage profile (a) before and (b) after PV penetration control
methodology is applied in selected node 20. The decreased level
of VR in node 20 and its adjacent nodes shows that the proposed
(large network), which is exposed to the VR issues when the PV
penetration is high.
The proposed IBA methodology of this paper can be applied
to any balanced network like current modified IEEE 69-bus,
which has the VR issue when PV penetration is high. SM and FI
can then be determined through IBAM for each node. As it is de-
picted in Fig. 23(b), V20 was pulled down by controlling the level
of PV penetration at node 20, which also affects voltage of other
nodes. Observation about the improvement of V20 is promising
for an IBA methodology to be extended to all nodes with con-
nected PV units. Furthermore, the IBA methodology can be
combined to VR mitigation methods, such as reactive power
control and droop control, which needs more investigation.
VI. CONCLUSION
This paper reports an IBA methodology for studying the
impact of high PV penetration on VR owing to an RPF in a
distribution network. Defined indices have been used to assess
the sensitivity of all nodes and select the critical node to be
monitored for voltage performance. Further indices have also
been computed and used to quantify the impact and the margins
that result in VR through RPF. The presented results introduce
an SM for penetration level k varying between 20% and 100%.
The SM can help planning engineers to deal with highly
HASHEMINAMIN et al.: INDEX-BASED ASSESSMENT OF VOLTAGE RISE AND REVERSE POWER FLOW PHENOMENA
variable loads and determine a feeders allowed maximum
level of PV penetration during sunny hours of a typical day
when loads decrease. This paper concluded that the IBA-based
SM for penetration are far better and higher than BAPC SM,
while it is also very simple. The proposed methodology can
be extended to any larger balanced network to mitigate the VR
issue to some extent. Although in larger networks with high PV
penetration, future studies can utilize the IBA methodology and
combine it with VR mitigation methods, such as reactive power
and droop control to optimize voltage control against RPF due
to high PV penetration, which is out of the scope of this paper.
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Maryam Hasheminamin (S14) was born in Tehran,
Iran. She received the Bachelors degree in electrical
power engineering from the Iran University of Sci-
ence and Technology, Tehran, in 2002 and the Mas-
ters degree from the University of Tehran in 2008.
She is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree
with the Australian Energy Research Institute, Uni-
versity of New South Wales, Sydney, N.S.W., Aus-
tralia.
Her research interests include photovoltaic (PV)
systems, the influence of PV integration into distri-
bution network and voltage rise mitigation, and smart-grid aspects in PV.
Vassilios G. Agelidis (SM00) was born in Serres,
Greece. He received the B.Eng. degree in electri-
cal engineering from the Democritus University of
Thrace, Thrace, Greece, in 1988; the M.S. degree
in applied science from Concordia University, Mon-
treal, QC, Canada, in 1992; and the Ph.D. degree
in electrical engineering from the Curtin University,
Perth, W.A., Australia, in 1997.
He was with Curtin University from 1993 to 1999;
with the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, U.K., from
2000 to 2004; with Murdoch University, Perth, Aus-
tralia, from 2005 to 2006; and with the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia,
from 2007 to 2010. He is currently the Director with the Australian Energy
Research Institute, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications,
University of New South Wales, N.S.W., Sydney.
Prof. Agelidis received the Advanced Research Fellowship from the U.K.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in 2004. He was the Vice-
President for Operations with the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) from
2006 to 2007. He was an AdCom Member of the IEEE PELS from 2007 to
2009 and the Technical Chair of the 39th IEEE Power Electronics Specialists
Conference held in Rhodes, Greece, in 2008.
Vahid Salehi (M12SM15) was born in Tabriz,
Iran, in 1980. He received the B.S. degree from the
University of Tabriz in 2003; the M.Sc. degree from
the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, in 2006; and
the Ph.D. degree from Florida International Univer-
sity, Miami, FL, USA, in 2012, all in power system
engineering.
From 2003 to 2008, he was with the Energy Re-
search Institute, Tehran. Since 2013, he has been the
Director of power engineering with Power Analyt-
ics Corporation, San Diego, CA, USA. This includes
performing power system studies as well as providing applied engineering
and technical consultation. His research interests include power system stud-
ies, smart grid, renewable energy integration and energy conversion in power
systems, distributed energy resource integration, dynamic modeling of power
system, power system stability, protection, wide-area monitoring, control, and
protection of power systems.
1168 IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, VOL. 5, NO. 4, JULY 2015

Remus Teodorescu (F12) received the Dipl.Ing. de- Branislav Hredzak (M98SM13) received the
gree in electrical engineering from the Polytechni- B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the Technical Univer-
cal University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania, in sity of Kosice, Kosice, Slovak Republic, in 1993 and
1989 and the Ph.D. degree in power electronics from the Ph.D. degree from Napier University, Edinburgh,
the University of Galati, Galati, Romania, in 1994. U.K., in 1997, both in electrical engineering.
From 1989 to 1990, he was with the Iron and In 2001, he joined A* STAR, Data Storage Insti-
Steel Plant, Galati, and then, he was an Assistant tute, Singapore, where he is currently with the Mecha-
with the Electrical Engineering Department, Galati tronics and Micro Systems Group as a Senior Re-
University, and, from 1994, an Assistant Professor. search Engineer. His research interests include servo
In 1996, he was the Head of the Power Electronics systems, balancing, mechatronic systems, and elec-
Research Group, Galati University. In 1998, he joined tromagnetics.
the Institute of Energy Technology, Power Electronics and Drives Department,
Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, where he is currently an Associate Pro-
fessor. He has published more than 60 papers, one book, and two patents. His
research interests include power converters for renewable energy systems, solar
cells, multilevel inverters, digital control, and computer simulations of advanced
electrical drives.
Dr. Teodorescu received the IEEE Technical Committee Prize Paper IAS98
Award and the OPTIM-ABB Prize Paper Award at OPTIM02.