Impact of renewable generation on voltage control in distribution systems

The high penetration of renewable generations in the distribution system (DS) has introduced more uncertainties and technical challenges in the operation of the grid-like voltage variation; degraded protection; altered transient stability; two-way power flow; and increased fault level. The reverse power flow due to high penetration of renewable generation may result to voltage rise which distribution network operators (DNOs) may not be able to control effectively. To that effect, this paper therefore reviews the impact of renewable generations such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy on distribution system with voltage control strategies. The work reveals that the application of smart grid technologies such as demand side integration (DSI) and energy storage (ES) mitigates voltage variation problems with minimum network reinforcement.