Voltage Control of Unbalanced Distribution Systems with Penetration of Renewable Sources: A Gradient-Based Optimization Approach

The penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs), including renewable energy sources (RES), into electric power systems has led to several challenges for the system operators. Despite various economic and environmental benefits offered by RES, the issue of voltage rise due to active power injection from RES is still an open problem. On the other hand, voltage decrease due to high load in distribution systems is another challenge faced by operators. In this study, we investigated the problem of over-voltage and under-voltage in the operation of unbalanced 3-phase distribution systems with penetration of RES. Moreover, We utilize derivative-based Exterior Penalty Function (EPF) optimization to solve the voltage deviation problem. The results of the tests conducted on a modified IEEE 13 Bus Test System have confirmed that the use of the tap changer voltage regulators and reactive power from PVs connected close to inverters can effectively contribute to the voltage control problem.