Solar PV plant for supplying ancillary services in distribution systems

Abstract

The paper reports the latest practice in the field for solar PV integration in distribution grids in Denmark, where the communication capability of solar inverters is exploited for integrating the monitoring and control functions of solar inverters into the SCADA system of the grid operator. The project demonstrates that, by implementing the enabled communication protocols of solar PV inverters in the remote terminal unit (RTU), the operator can receive measurements from the PV inverter on a variety of quantities, as well as remotely regulate the active and reactive power production for procurement of grid services. The practice demonstrates the feasibility of using solar PV plants for grid support in critical situations, where the experience is repeatable for other distribution grid operators to integrate distributed generation resources into the grid management functions. The work is carried out in cooperation with the grid operator of Bornholm, which is one of the islands in Denmark having the highest penetration of renewable energy.