Shunt capacitor operation under large-scale photovoltaic energy penetration

Japan plans to introduce a large amount of photovoltaic (PV) power generation capacity in order to help combat climate change. In this paper, we focus on reactive power in large-scale PV systems. First, we propose a two-layered shunt capacitor (SC) scheduling method using multi objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) - a meta-heuristic technique - and dynamic programming (DP). By using MOPSO, cost efficiency and reliability in power system planning and operation can be more accurately analyzed, and by using DP, switching times can be assessed. We then propose an effective static var compensator (SVC) control method for use in situations where PV outputs fluctuate sharply over short time intervals in order to control reactive power flows caused by changing PV output. Based on simulations run on a modified Ward-Hale 6-bus system to verify the validity of the method, we can confirm that its capability over a normal voltage range for controlling power systems with a large degree of penetration.