Understanding Photovoltaic Hosting Capacity of Distribution Circuits

A widespread integration of residential photovoltaics (PVs) into the distribution system may potentially disrupt the nominal circuit operating conditions and result in power quality issues. The objective of this paper is to investigate the impacts of residential PVs on distribution voltages. A stochastic analysis framework is used to simulate possible PV deployment scenarios. The PV integration limit, termed hosting capacity, is calculated with respect to bus overvoltages, voltage deviations, and voltage unbalance. A thorough interpretation of PV hosting results is presented, and several factors potentially affecting the circuit's voltage quality are identified. Additionally, the impacts of increasing the circuit's minimum load on the PV hosting capacity are evaluated. Finally, the voltage quality impacts of PV locations are identified, and, based on the results, useful and generic recommendations for PV integration are presented.