Improvement of voltage magnitude and unbalance in LV network by implementing residential demand response

Abstract

Maintaining voltage levels in low voltage (LV) distribution network within the standard limits is the main constraining factor in increasing network hosting ability for high penetration of rooftop photovoltaic (PV). Distribution system operator must be able to take corrective approach to avoid critical voltage unbalance and magnitude violations where rooftop PV generation is high. This study presents an effective method for voltage management in distribution networks through implementation of optimal residential demand response (DR) and transformer tap setting using a particle swarm optimization algorithm. The method is comprehensively verified on a real Australian distribution network with considerable unbalance and distributed generations. The simulation results show that PV penetration of the network can be further increased with the proposed approach.