DESIGN OF A LARGE SCALE SOLAR PV SYSTEM

SAND MUSTAFA AL-REFAI

AND IMPACT ANALYSIS OF ITS INTEGRATION

INTO LIBYAN POWER GRID

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE

SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCES
DESIGN OF A LARGE SCALE SOLAR PV SYSTEM AND IMPACT
ANALYSIS OF ITS INTEGRATION INTO LIBYAN POWER GRID

OF
NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY

By
SAND MUSTAFA AL-REFAI

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for

The Degree of Master of Science
in
Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
NEU
2016

NICOSIA, 2016
DESIGN OF A LARGE SCALE SOLAR PV SYSTEM
AND IMPACT ANALYSIS OF ITS INTEGRATION
INTO LIBYAN POWER GRID

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE

SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCES
OF
NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY

By
SAND MUSTAFA AL-REFAI

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for

The Degree of Master of Science
in
Electrical and Electronic
Engineering

NICOSIA, 2016
Sand Mustafa AL-REFAI: DESIGN OF A LARGE SCALE SOLAR PV SYSTEM
AND IMPACT ANALYSIS OF ITS INTEGRATION INTO LIBYAN POWER
GRID

Approval of Director of Graduate School of

Applied Sciences

Prof. Dr. İlkay SALİHOĞLU

We certify this thesis is satisfactory for the award of the degree of Masters of
Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Examining Committee in Charge:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Fahrioğlu Committee Chairman, Department of

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, METU

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Timur Aydmir Supervisor, Department of Electrical and

Electronic Engineering, NEU

Dr. Umar Özgünalp Department of Electrical and Electronic

Engineering, NEU
I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in
accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by
these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are
not original to this work.

Name, Last name: SAND MUSTAFA AL-REFAI

Signature:

Date:

I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof.
Dr. M. Timur Aydemir , for his guidance and mentorship during my graduate studies.
His impressive knowledge and creative thinking have been source of inspiration
throughout this work.

My deepest gratitude goes to my parents, my wife, my brothers, sisters, and my son, to

whom I am most indebted. I thank them for constant love, prayers, patience and support
while I was studying abroad. I know I can never come close to returning their favor upon
me.

A special thanks to my beloved Dad for his sacrifices, never-ending support and
encouragement during my study. I would like to thank him for being a constant source of
inspiration and motivation for me. Without him I would be no-where near what I have
become today.

I will always be thankful to my friends and colleagues for their unlimited support. I
extend my thanks to all the Libyan community that gave me a second family away from
home.

ii
To my parents and family….

iii
ABSTRACT

Electrical energy is very important for sustainability and quality of life on this planet. Solar
photovoltaic (PV) is one of the most adequate technologies used to convert the energy of
the sun to electrical energy. Suitable exploitation of solar energy implies important
diminution of the emissions of greenhouse gases.

In Libya, due to environmental, economic and development perspectives the Renewable

Energy Authority of Libya (REAOL) is planning to implement a grid connected 14 MW
photovoltaic (PV) power plant near the Houn city in the Jufra District in Libya. The
implementation of such large scale solar project may affect the normal parameters of the
existing power station. These parameters are mainly voltage control, stability, protection
equipment, and harmonic distortion levels. Therefore, this thesis develops a study of the
design of PV system to be implemented in Houn substation 220 kV. The study aims to find
the optimal parameters of the PV system such that it can function correctly. In addition, it
investigates the impact of integrating PV directly with the existing grid. Different analysis
tools will be used to perform load flow analysis to ascertain the effect on the PV to the
grid. Analysis of the voltage variations and voltage stability after the integration of the PV
system will also be assessed. Harmonic distortion analysis of the system is also going to be
experimented after the connection of the PV plant to ensure the conformity of the resulting
system with the international power quality standards.

In order to prove the design validity of the proposed system, models and simulations in
MATLAB/SIMULINK and ETAP program will be established for a practical distribution
grid. Real loads and solar energy data will be used in the simulation models for more
realistic design. The results obtained from the analysis will be presented, tabulated, and
discussed throughout this work.

Keywords: Solar energy; photovoltaic (PV); Houn city; Houn substation 220kV;
MATLAB/Simulink; ETAP

iv
ÖZET

Elektrik enerjisi gezegenimizdeki yaşamın sürdürülebilirliği ve kalitesi için çok önemlidir.

Güneş enerjisini elektrik enerjisine dönüştürmek için kullanılan en uygun teknolojilerden
biri fotovoltaik panellerdir. Güneş enerjisinden uygun biçimde yararlanarak sera etkisi
yapan gazların yayımı azaltılabilir.

Libya Yenilenebilir Enerji Kurumu (REAOL) çevresel, ekonomik ve gelişim perspektifleri

ile Jufra bölgesinin Houn şehri yakınlarında şebeke bağlantılı 14 MW gücünde fotovoltaik
enerji tesisinin kurulumunu planlamaktadır. Bu ölçekte bir güneş enerjisi sisteminin
kurulumu, mevcut enerji santralinin normal parametrelerini etkileyebilir. Bu parametrelerin
başlıcaları gerilim kontrolü, kararlılık, koruma cihazları ve harmonik bozunum
seviyeleridir. Bu tezde 220 kV gerilimli Houn şalt merkezinde kurulacak PV sistemin
tasarımına yönelik bir çalışma gerçekleştirilmektedir. Çalışmanın amacı, PV sistemin
işlevini doğru biçimde yerine getirebilmek için gerekli optimum parametrelerin
bulunmasıdır. Ayrıca, PV sistemin mevcut şebekeye doğrudan bağlanmasının etkileri
incelenmektedir. PV sistemin şebekeye etkisini değerlendirmek amacıyla yük akışı
analizini yapmak için farklı analiz araçları kullanılmaktadır. PV sistemin entegrasyonunun
bağlantısından sonra gerilimdeki değişimlerin ve gerilim kararlılığının analizi de
gerçekleştirilmektedir. Sistemin uluslararası güç kalitesi standartlarına uygun davrandığını
görmek için harmonik bozunum analizi de yapılmaktadır.

Önerilen sistemin tasarımının doğruluğunu göstermek için gerçek sistemin ve dağıtım

şebekesinin MATLAB/SIMULINK ve ETAP programları ile modellemesi ve benzetimi
gerçekleştirilmiştir. Daha gerçekçi bir tasarım için gerçek yük ve güneş enerjisi verileri
kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada, analizlerden elde edilen veriler sunulmakta ve tartışılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Güneş enerjisi; Photovoltaik (PV) enerji; Houn şehri; Houn 220 kV
şaltmerkezi; MATLAB/Simulink; ETAP

v
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ii

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ iv

ÖZET .................................................................................................................................... v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... vi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... xiii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Aim of the Thesis ........................................................................................................ 5
1.3 Overview of the Thesis ................................................................................................ 6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7

2.2 Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 7

CHAPTER 3: DISTRIBUTED GENERATION SYSTEMS

3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 9

3.2 Electric Power Networks vs. Distributed Generation .................................................. 9
3.2.1 History of distributed generation ........................................................................ 11
3.2.2 Types of distributed generation technologies ..................................................... 13
3.2.2.1 Gas turbines ................................................................................................. 13
3.2.2.2 Micro turbines.............................................................................................. 13
3.2.2.3 Engines ........................................................................................................ 13
3.2.2.4 Fuel cells ...................................................................................................... 14
3.2.2.5 Wind turbines .............................................................................................. 14
3.2.2.6 Photovoltaic solar cell ................................................................................. 15
3.3 Photovoltaic Systems ................................................................................................. 15
3.3.1 Advantages and drawbacks of solar energy ....................................................... 16

vi
3.4 Energy Potential in Libya .......................................................................................... 17
3.4.1 Photovoltaic applications in Libya ..................................................................... 20
3.4.1.1 PV system for Libyan microwave communication networks ...................... 20
3.4.1.2 Solar energy for cathodic protection ........................................................... 21
3.4.1.3 Rural electrification with PV systems ......................................................... 21
3.4.1.4 PV systems for water pumping .................................................................... 22
3.5 Methodology of the Work ......................................................................................... 23
3.6 Modelling and Analysis Software ............................................................................. 24
3.6.1 MATLAB / SIMULINK (version 7.8.0.347 (R2009a)) ..................................... 24
3.6.2 ETAP (version 12.6.0H) ..................................................................................... 24

CHAPTER 4: DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF GRID CONNECTED PV SYSTEM

FOR LIBYAN NATIONAL GRID
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 25
4.2 Design Procedure of the PV Station .......................................................................... 25
4.2.1 Design and selection of grid tied inverter ........................................................... 26
4.2.1.1 Design of the central inverter ...................................................................... 28
4.2.2 Layout of grid connected PV system with the central inverters ......................... 32
4.2.3 Cable sizing ........................................................................................................ 33
4.2.3.1 Sizing cables between PV modules ............................................................. 34
4.2.3.2 Sizing of cable from PV array bus-bar to inverter....................................... 35
4.2.3.3 Sizing of cable from inverter to main junction ........................................... 35
4.2.4 Sizing of circuit breakers .................................................................................... 36
4.2.4.1 Sizing of circuit protection between PV array and inverter ........................ 36
4.2.4.2 Sizing of circuit protection on every phase output of inverter .................... 37
4.2.5 Synchronization with the system ........................................................................ 37
4.3 PV Modelling Using SIMULINK ............................................................................. 38
4.3.1 Electrical circuit models of PV modules ............................................................ 38
4.3.2 Simulink modelling for PV module.................................................................... 41
4.3.3 PV Simulation results and discussions ............................................................... 43

vii
CHAPTER 5: POWER SYSTEM STUDIES FOR PV INTEGRATION

5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 45

5.2 Load Flow Study and Analysis Using ETAP ............................................................ 45
5.2.1 Load flow simulation using ETAP ..................................................................... 46
5.3 Short Circuit Study and Analysis Using ETAP ......................................................... 48
5.3.1 Short circuit simulation using ETAP .................................................................. 48
5.4 Harmonics Study and Analysis Using ETAP ............................................................ 49
5.5 Transient Stability Study and Analysis Using ETAP ................................................ 50

CHAPTER 6: RESULTS ANALYSIS OF POWER SYSTEM STUDIES

6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 51

6.2 Load Flow Analysis ................................................................................................... 51
6.3 Short Circuit Analysis ............................................................................................... 51
6.4 Harmonics Analysis ................................................................................................... 52
6.5 Transient Stability Analysis....................................................................................... 56

CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK

7.1 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 58

7.2 Future Work ............................................................................................................... 59

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 60

APPENDICES .................................................................................................................... 64

Appendix 1: Houn Substation Loads .................................................................................. 65

Appendix 2: Module Datasheet .......................................................................................... 66

Appendix 3: ABB Central Inverter ..................................................................................... 67

Appendix 4: Load Flow Analysis Without PV ................................................................... 68

Appendix 5: Load Flow Analysis With PV ........................................................................ 82

viii
Appendix 6: Short Circuit Analysis Without PV ............................................................. 100

Appendix 7: Short Circuit Analysis With PV................................................................... 114

Appendix 8: Harmonics Analysis Without PV ................................................................. 131

Appendix 9: Harmonic Analysis With PV ....................................................................... 153

Appendix 10: Harmonic Analysis With Filters and No PV Connection .......................... 186

Appendix 11: Harmonic Analysis With Filters and PV ................................................... 208

Appendix 12: Transient Stability Analysis Without PV................................................... 243

Appendix 13: Transient Stability Analysis With PV ........................................................ 265

ix
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: General power system topology ........................................................................ 2

Figure 1.2: The location of the proposed project activity near the town of Houn, Jufra ..... 4
Figure 1.3: Schematic diagram of the connection of the solar station ................................. 5
Figure 3.1: Structure of the electric power grid ................................................................. 10
Figure 3.2: A power system with distributed generation ................................................... 11
Figure 3.3: Solar map in Libya ........................................................................................... 18
Figure 3.4: Load growth in Libya 2003-2012 .................................................................... 19
Figure 3.5: Electricity production growth in Libya between 2003 and 2012 ..................... 19
Figure 3.6: PV and diesel stations in the communication network .................................... 20
Figure 3.7: Flow chart of the station design and analysis process ..................................... 24
Figure 4.1: (a)- String inverter a vs. (b)- central inverter .................................................. 28
Figure 4.2: The array configuration of the central inverter ................................................ 31
Figure 4.3: General structure of the arrays with the inverters ............................................ 32
Figure 4.4: Wiring diagram of connection of inverters output to main combiner box ...... 33
Figure 4.5: Solar cell’s model using single diode .............................................................. 38
Figure 4.6: Solar cell model using single diode with Rs and Rp ......................................... 39
Figure 4.7: Block diagram of the model based upon the equations of PV model .............. 41
Figure 4.8: Masked PV module in Simulink ...................................................................... 42
Figure 4.9: The final model of PV system ......................................................................... 42
Figure 4.10: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) V-I characteristic curves ......... 43
Figure 4.11: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) P-V characteristic curves......... 43
Figure 4.12: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) V-I characteristic curves ......... 44
Figure 4.13: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) P-V characteristic curves......... 44
Figure 5.1: Electrical power system study methodology flow chart .................................. 45
Figure 5.2: Load flow simulation with PV disconnected ................................................... 47
Figure 5.3: Load flow simulation with PV connected ........................................................ 47
Figure 5.4: Short circuit simulation with PV disconnected ................................................ 48
Figure 5.5: Short circuit simulation with PV connected .................................................... 49
Figure 6.1: Voltage waveform at bus 1 with PV disconnected .......................................... 53
Figure 6.2: Analysis results of harmonic with PV connected ............................................ 53
Figure 6.3: Waveform and spectrum of bus1 voltage after using PV plant ....................... 54

x
Figure 6.4: Harmonic study with filters and PV connection .............................................. 55
Figure 6.5: Bus 1 voltage waveform and spectrum with filters and PV connection .......... 55
Figure 6.6: Percentage of bus nominal (kV) without PV connection................................. 57
Figure 6.7: Percentage of bus nominal (kV) with PV connection ...................................... 57

xi
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1: Technical specifications of PV modules to be used in Houn project .................. 4

Table 3.1: The total installed PV capacity in Libya ........................................................... 23
Table 4.1: Basic features of the discussed PV modules ..................................................... 26
Table 4.2: Features of the ABB 1 MW central inverter used ............................................. 29
Table 4.3: Cable sizing for the PV system ......................................................................... 37

xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AC Alternative Current
CB Circuit Breaker
CHP Combined Heat and Power
CP Cathodic Protection
CPV Concentrated Photovoltaic
CSA Cross Sectional Area
CSES Center of Solar Energy Studies
DC Direct Current
DG Distributed Generation
EIA Energy Information Administration
ETAP Electrical Transient Analyzer Program
FACTS Flexible Alternative Current Transmission Systems
FC Fuel Cell
GECOL General Electrical Company of Libya
MATLAB Matrix Laboratory
MPPT Maximum Power Point Tracking
PCC Point of Common Coupling
PU Per Unit
PV Photovoltaic
REAOL Renewable Energy Authority of Libya
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
STC Standard Test Conditions
THD Total Harmonic Distortion
UPS Uninterruptible Power Supplies
VTS Voltage Transformers

xiii
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

This work is an introduction of the Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy in the Libyan national
electrical network. It represents a study of the implementation of 14 MW solar power
station into Houn sub-station in Libya.

1.1 Introduction

Electrical energy is one of the most central human needs. Life without electrical energy is
not imaginable. Nowadays Libya, similar to the other countries of the Middle East, uses oil
and natural gas to produce its electrical energy needs. However, as these types of non-
renewable energy sources will exhaust one day, it is very important to find alternative
electrical energy sources like wind, sea waves, and solar energy. One of the great wealth
that Libya has is the incredible distribution and amount of solar energy incident. Therefore,
the significance of the investment in this source for the production of electrical energy by
using the high efficiency photovoltaic generators becomes evident.

Normally power systems meet load growth demands through installation of centralized
large generation plants, transmission lines and substations as well as distribution
infrastructure. Figure 1.1 shows the traditional power delivery structure, from centralized
generation to long distance transmission distribution. The generation station generates
electricity at lower voltage level, generally 11 kV. This voltage is stepped up through a
generation step up station. Stepped up voltage at the level of 220 kV or 400 kV is
transmitted for long distances until the destination consumption areas. This power is then
stepped down to different distribution levels according to consumers’ needs. Solar
generation is generally a small source of electric power generation ranging in size from
less than a kW to tens of MW. PV sources are not generally part of the central power
generation and are more suited to be installed near to the load, as shown, in the green
distribution area in Figure 1.1.

Photovoltaic systems are widely used in different applications, from small cells in
calculators that consume small amount of power to large scale PV plants that produce
power in the range of many MW. Although there is a broad variety of PV applications, the
main applications for PV systems are in the power generation on-board craft and in

1
standalone systems in rural areas. In the last decades an important revolution in the use of
grid-connected solar generators has been witnessed. The newly developed technologies
encouraged consumers to start shifting toward the use of distributed energy resources like
PV systems. Prices and initial installation costs of the PV systems have noticeably been
decreased in the last 10 years especially with the exclusion of back-up batteries.

Figure 1.1: General power system topology (Condon, 2004)

Photovoltaic energy is one of the cleanest sources of renewable energy. The recent
observations of the climatic alterations have encouraged the humanity for more
investigation in the renewable resources of energy like solar. Although the technology was
very costly in its beginnings, it has spread and has become very familiar and most used
especially with the introduction of programs to encourage people to investigate in this
technology. The use of distributed resources and especially PV systems in connection with
power systems has many advantages such as (Steffel, et al., 2012):

 Voltage profile improvement.

 Voltage stability improvement for the whole system.
 Reactive power flow reduction.
 Power loss reduction.
 Pollution reduction.
 Maintenance cost reduction.

2
However, the use of individual solar applications or large scale PV generators can affect
power systems and cause serious problems that need to be taken in consideration. For that
reason, the penetration of distributed generation systems in the power systems has become
one of the hottest topics of electrical power engineering. The variable nature of PV sources
may cause serious power quality issues in the distribution systems. Such problems must be
studied and mentioned preliminary to the installation of distributed generation system to
avoid the failure of the systems. These problems or disadvantages can be summarized in
the next few points (Coster et al., 2011; Steffel et al., 2012):

 Injection of harmonics due to the use of power inverters.

 The interruption of solar generation during night.
 The challenges of protection because of the bidirectional power flow.
 Over voltage of the systems.

In this work, the use of solar energy power station with a total capacity of 14 MW in the
Libyan distribution station of Houn is studied. The study will include the effect of the solar
power station on the stability of the distribution station. It will include the analysis of load
flow, short circuit faults, system stability, and harmonics of the system after the installation
of the solar station. The project was proposed by the Renewable Energy Authority of Libya
(REAOL) to build a photovoltaic (PV) power plant. The power rating of this first grid-
connected plant of Libya which will be near the city of Houn in the Jufra District is 14
MW. The project is expected to produce an annual net electricity of approximately 23,140
MWh. High technology PV modules, power electronic systems, transformers and
protection devices will be employed in this plant. Measurement and communication
equipment will also be used to ensure reliability and surveillance of the system. The
geographical location of the proposed project activity is as shown in Figure 1.2. The town
of Houn situates at the latitude of 29o 08’ 52” N, and longitude of 16o 00’ 57” E, at a
distance of about 250 km from the coastal line and 700 km from the capital city of Libya.
The total available area for the project is approximately 10 hectare. The plant is planned to
be connected to the distribution substation of 66/11 kV near Houn station of 220 kV as
explained in Appendix 1. The specifications of the solar panels that must be used as sited
by the REAOL are shown in Table 1.1. The substation has 2 step down transformers 66/11
kV of 20 MVA each. The connection between the solar field and the 11 kV bus bar will be
established through 7 step-up transformers of 3 MVA each. The voltage rating of these

3
transformers is 0.4/11 kV and situated 100 m away from the field (UNFCCC, 2012).
Figure 1.3 presents the schematic diagram of the connection between the solar system and
the distribution grid through step-up transformers.

Figure 1.2: The location of the proposed project activity near the town of Houn, Jufra

Table 1.1: Technical specifications of PV modules to be used in Houn project

Parameter Value
Cell type Crystalline PV module
Power Different power ratings: 230 – 245 Wp
Number of modules ~ 57,140 – 60,870
Module efficiency 14.1 – 15.1 %
Maximum rated current series 15 A
Power tolerance +/-3%
Maximum power voltage 29.4 – 30.7 V
Plant load factor 18.87 %

4
Figure 1.3: Schematic diagram of the connection of the solar station

1.2 Aim of the Thesis

Voltage control and stability are very critical for safe and reliable operation of power
systems. They need to be taken in consideration during the generation, transmission and
distribution levels of electric power. Voltage control for traditional power systems is well
established. However, voltage control for distributed power systems is a rather new
concept. Several researchers have been proposing new control algorithms to overcome the
problems related to voltage regulation and stability so that renewable energy plants can be
safely connected to national grids.

Libya is a country rich in solar energy and needs new power plants. Therefore it is
expected that new solar energy projects will be carried out in near future, which means
voltage stability and regulation problems should be studied before connecting these plants
to existing networks.

The purpose of this work is to establish the analysis of the distributed solar generation that
is planned in Houn in Libya. The analysis has the aim of determining the effect of
installing 14 MW solar station connected to the distribution station of Houn. This analysis
will focus on studying the voltage profile, voltage stability; short circuit faults, reactive
power flow, and harmonic distortions due to the connection of the solar station to the
distribution system at Houn. The study will discuss the general structure of the solar
generation station and its components. The connection between the solar system and the
power distribution station of Houn will also be discussed. A load flow and short circuit
analysis of the studied systems will be performed in an attempt to obtain the optimal levels
of voltage quality and stability of the system. In order to verify the feasibility and validity
of the studied system, model of the distribution station combined and connected with the
solar PV station will be built in ETAP software. Different analysis methods of load flow,

5
short circuit, voltage stability, and harmonics are going to be analysed. Separately,
modelling of the solar system will be discussed and studied to show the different
parameters that affect the function of the solar cells. The model will be carried out using
Matlab software and different operating conditions will be studied and discussed.

As a conclusion, the objectives of this study can be resumed in the next few points:

 To study the capability of solar generation systems in the load demand and power
flow reduction at the distribution station level in Libya.
 To study the effect of connecting large scale commercial solar sources directly with
the public grid. And to open the opportunity for future analysis of the techno-
economic benefits of connecting large or small size solar projects to the Libyan
National Grid.
 To inspect the consequences of grid connected solar systems on the voltage
regulation levels in the public network in Libya and its participation in load
reduction and stabilization of transmission systems.

1.3 Overview of the Thesis

In Chapter 2, a review of the existing literature on the topic is presented. In Chapter 3,

discussion on the distributed generation systems is presented, the methodology followed in
the thesis is described and the two simulation and analysis software programs are
presented. In Chapter 4, the design and simulation of the grid connected plant are given. In
Chapter 5, load flow, short circuit analysis, harmonic analysis and voltage profile studies
are explained. In Chapter 6, results are discussed. In Chapter 7, the thesis is concluded and
future work is discussed.

6
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

The Energy is defined conventionally as the capability of work production. The origin of
the word energy comes from the ancient Greek. It is a compound term from the two Greek
word “en” and “ergon”. The terms mean something that can work in the body. Scientists
define the energy as the ability or capacity to perform work. The famous physician Max
Planck has given a more accurate and scientific definition of the energy. He defined the
energy as: “The ability of a system to produce outside activity” (Tzanakis, 2006).

Electrical energy has been the main source of energy for humanity during the last two
hundred years. However, this energy is produced based on the burn of fossil fuels like gas
and petrol oil. These fuels suffer from two disadvantages that pushed toward the
investigation in new natural resources; these are the environment pollution and the non-
renewable nature of these fuels. Scientists have focused on the investigation of renewable
energy resource for electrical energy production. In the last decades, different technologies
were developed to produce green energy. One of the main developed technologies was the
solar energy technology. Throughout the course of its development, renewable solar
energy has witnessed different revolutions in terms of power production, back-up and
efficiency. Recently, solar or renewable energy systems became able to be connected
directly to the electric grids. This allowed these systems to support the existing power
generation systems directly with the minimum costs. They share now in a great amount of
power production all around the world. However, these advantages were combined with
some drawbacks concerning the effects of distributed generation systems which a term is
describing all power sources that are connected to the main sources at any point- connected
to the existing power systems. These drawbacks concern mainly the lack of stability,
voltage regulation, and harmonic distortions caused by distributed generation systems.

2.2 Literature Review

Different researches were pointed toward the study and analysis of these drawbacks and
different solutions to overcome their effects. (Coster, Myrzik, Kruimer, & Kling, 2011)
Has discussed the effects of the Distributed Generation (DG) systems on the power grid
stability as reported by Dutch distribution system operators. The authors discussed the

7
different opportunities to handle network planning challenges in the existence of
distributed sources. Paper demonstrated that voltage control issues and protection errors
are rarely happening in compact power systems. A study of the issues combined with the
use of distributed generation systems on the power grids was presented in (Therien, 2010).
The author discussed different issues like voltage regulation, protection system faults,
harmonics, power flow, and intermittency of power systems with DG. A case study of a
grid connected solar system was presented to address the different issues related to the DG.
In (Nazari & Ilic, 2008) different problems related to the use of distributed generation
systems on power grids were discussed.

The effects of the location of DG and technology on the stability of the power system
voltage were discussed in (Angelim & Affonso, 2016). In the paper, three distributed
generation technologies were discussed and experimented. In addition, different DG
locations were used and the effects on the stability of the power systems were discussed.
An analysing method of the financial value of the DG systems was proposed and discussed
in (Ault, McDonald, & Burt, 2003). The authors discussed different factors and issues
concerning the DG systems. The developed function is helpful in determining the DG
impact on the network, business, and the penetration of system. A case study of the United
Kingdom distributed generation system was also discussed in this work. Line losses
reduction due to the use of DG systems was discussed by (Dang, Yu, Dang, & Han, 2011).
The work presented the study of radial feeder and distributed generator system under
various load conditions. Results of losses reduction were presented and discussed. Impact
of distributed generation on the dispatch of power systems was discussed in (Liu, Zhang,
Zhou, & Zhong, 2012). Different renewable energy distributed generators were discussed
and their impact was studied.

A study of the investigation of hybrid distributed generation system of wind, PV, and
hydro power sources was presented by (Liu, Zhang, Zhou, & Zhong, 2012). The dynamic
impact of these DG systems was analysed and presented (Olulope, Folly, &
Venayagamoorthy, 2013). Different issues related to the placement of distributed
generators into power grid were discussed in (Yadav & Srivastava, 2014). Review of the
most DG technologies also was presented in this paper work. The work in (Zhao, Li, &
Liu, 2014) discussed the analysis of distributed generators and the optimal design
techniques of these generators.

8
CHAPTER 3
DISTRIBUTED GENERATION SYSTEMS

3.1 Introduction

Life cannot be imagined to have the same quality it is having without electricity. It is so
important for life and human civilization. It is the source of light that clear the darkness, it
is the way how we keep our foods in fridges, and it is the mean we use to operate our air
conditioners, electricity is the invention that gives our life its comfort. None of our basic
needs for comfort life can be achieved without electricity. TV’s, cameras, personal
computers, digital processors, phones, cellular phones, radio, modern cars, home
appliances, and many other electronic devices could not happen to work without
electricity. Based on reports of the Energy Information Administration (EIA); until 2030,
the electrical energy is expected to remain the fastest developing form of energy
worldwide (Dorian, Franssen, & Simbeck, 2006). The traditional resources used for
electrical energy production have dangerous consequences on the environment especially
under the actual and predicted electrical consumption rates.

The nature and sources of electricity is well known and understood. This knowledge
allows various uses of electrical energy to be useful. Nowadays, the integration of clean
electrical energy sources into the actual infrastructures is growing quickly; governments as
well as environment organizations are paying more attention for the subject. However,
governments need to do more efforts to increase the chances of renewable resources to be
more competitive.

New policies and technologies aim to decrease environment pollution due to energy
production by finding new clean, renewable, and low cost resources. Renewable resources
like solar, wind, sea waves, and many other energy sources are nowadays more and more
investigated. The use and development of these renewable clean free energy sources has
led to the use of Distributed Generation systems DG.

3.2 Electric Power Networks vs. Distributed Generation

An electrical grid is an interrelated network of electrical components distributing electrical

power between producers and clients. Power systems in our days are very complex grids
that can be essentially categorized into four main groups: generation system, transmission

9
system, distribution system, and different loads (Paolone & Cherkaoui). Figure 3.1 shows a
general structure of the electric power grid. In the generation system, electricity is mostly
produced by huge centrifuged alternators located in generation stations. The electrical
power is usually generated under the level of 11 kV or 30 kV.

Figure 3.1: Structure of the electric power grid (Paolone & Cherkaoui)

Overhead transmission networks are responsible for the transmission of electrical power
between different parts of the system. They transfer energy from main stations to
distribution stations and between generation stations as well. The distribution grid can be
either low or medium voltage distribution network. It uses transformers to step down high
or extra high voltages to low level or medium level voltages. Transformers in the
distribution unit feed electrical power to a number of secondary feeders whom consumer is
connected to. Customers are connected to feeders either directly or through transformers to
step down the voltage to a suitable level.

Distributed generation (DG) term is used to describe the use of group of interconnected
small size power generators. These generators produce low voltage level electricity by
usually using alternative fuel. The distributed generators are constructed such that they can

10
be connected directly to the nearest available network and loads. A general description of a
power system including distributed generation systems is present in Figure 3.2. Distributed
generation is still used and considered as spare or emergency endorsement source of power
and restricted to a limited part of grid tied sources.

Figure 3.2: A power system with distributed generation (The grid as it is today, 2016)

DG systems are less used in many countries where prices of oil and natural gas are low, or
where regulatory batteries are used. However, widespread of DG is being reconsidered due
to the changes in relation between centralized and distributed power generation; in addition
to the excessive use of natural gas and restrictions on the new transmission lines, and the
new technologies that are implemented in the DG systems (The grid as it is today, 2016).

3.2.1 History of distributed generation

In 80s of the 19th century, the Pearl Street electric system that was created by Edison and
served Wall Street and the near buildings can be considered as a dіstrіbutеd generation
system. The same generation structure continued until the end of nineteenth century in the
United State of America (USA) and around the world. Such systems served few small
areas by direct current sources. Over more, individual factories were served individually by
systems that supplied electric power with heating in Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

11
systems (Hughes, 1993). The main struggle of the distributed Direct Current (DC) system
was the huge amount of losses under low voltages. The transmission of electricity under
low voltages for long distance causes a lot of power losses. As a result, other competitors
supported the use of alternating current based systems. In the Alternative Current (AC)
systems larger and spread out areas can be served easily. This was possible thanks for the
invention of power transformers.

With technological developments in alternating current systems, more economical

investments in large and centralized power systems were required. These centralized high
load systems were built in huge networks. They have the ability to spread out in wide areas
providing consistent services. Unfortunately, storage of large amounts of electrical power
is very difficult; this implies the requirement that that demand and supply are balanced all
the time. For more efficient use of the transmission and generation systems, different
customers need to stabilize their consumption through days and seasons. The grouping of
different industrial, commercial, and residential loads helps achieving smooth demand
profile the maximum possible. This goal implies the service to be extended over larger
areas and the interconnection of multiple areas together. Another motivation for the use of
extended electrical services network was the availability of resources of energy. Mines and
water hydraulic energy resources are mostly located far from centres of industrial and
residential zones. The two possible choices were to transport fuel to the distributed power
stations or to transmit the electrical energy from the places of energy resources using high
voltage systems. By the 1930s, industrial states had established huge electrical grids,
joining together around the steam turbine generation system. Smaller generation systems
were then naturally melted and shut down. An increase from 80 MW generation station in
1920 to 600 MW unit in 1960 and then to 1400 MW in 1980 have been witnessed. The
idea to return back to the distributed generation in the 20th century came after the petrol
shocks in the 1970s and the need to increase the systems efficiencies. The efficiency of
large scale economic generation system was limited to 33 % of the used energy (Nishida,
et al., 2003).

Evolution of small scale distributed generation has led to important reduction in cost,
increased reliability, and less pollution emissions of different turbines, fuel cells, engines,
and solar panels. On another side, particularly in the past two decades; a great evolution in

12
the management, monitoring, surveillance, and control systems has happened (Hamlyn,
Cheung, Lin, Cungang, & Cheung, 2008) & (Lin, et al., 2009).

3.2.2 Types of distributed generation technologies

Actually, types of distributed generators extend to cover all types of power generation
methods. These types include the traditional generators like oil and gas generators in
addition to recently developed technologies like micro turbines, solar plants, wind farms
and other sources of electrical energy.

3.2.2.1 Gas turbines

Gas turbines or power generation based on gas turbine technologies is common with very
large generation capacities. Sizes of gas turbines vary from small gas turbines of 500 kW
and reaching the capacity of huge gas stations of 50 MW. Gas turbines are very common
due to low costs of their maintenance in addition to higher efficiency achieved due to the
high ability for heat recovery. Gas turbines are the most favourite type for almost all
distributed generation requirements (Davis, 2002).

3.2.2.2 Micro turbines

The same functional cycle of conventional turbines is implemented in micro turbines.

However, micro turbines are commercially less developed compared to the mentioned
conventional turbines. The development of micro turbine has started from the design of
fast and small turbines. These turbines rotate at high speeds of up to 100000 cycles per
minute. Their components like nozzles and burners are more and more compressed.
Generally, the sizes of micro turbines range between 30 and 250 kW (Pilavachi, 2002).
Micro turbines require less maintenance costs and use an air cooling system. However,
micro turbines are a little bit less efficient than their conventional large sized gas turbines
because of low functional temperatures.

3.2.2.3 Engines

The technology of internal combustion engines is a well-known and conventional engines

structure. These engines are fed by natural or diesel oil. Natural gas engines are using
spark ignition while diesel oil engines implement a compression ignition technology to
fire. The energy of combustion is divided into three main parts; the first part is the
mechanical energy that is converted into electricity with the ratio of 26-39 %; the second

13
part is a useful heat that can be used for different goals and represent 46-60 %; the last part
represents different losses of the engine due to radiations and exhaust gas losses in addition
to gear box losses.

Power production engines are of the size of 1 MW typically. They are more and more used
in distributed generation systems. They are increasingly being used in combined heat
power for peak load or standby needs in different applications (Daley, ASCO Power
Technol., & Siciliano, 2003).

3.2.2.4 Fuel cells

Fuel cells (FC) produce electromechanical energy out of chemical energy without the need
for any thermal energy phase. Fuel cells have very high efficiency compared to other
engines. In the fuel cell the hydrogen and the oxygen are fed to the cell. Chemical reactions
combining hydrogen and oxygen molecules producing water and energy take place in the
fuel cell. The oxidation of hydrogen to produce water creates equilibrium where electrons
flow through an external electric structure providing energy. Unlike normal batteries, fuel
cells can provide continuous energy provided with the two main functional elements which
are oxygen and hydrogen. However, the direct oxidation of natural gas is still impossible
which implies the conversion between different materials. This conversion is less efficient
and still need more scientific researches and investigations.

Fuel cells have their own advantages including high power efficiency and performance
under variable loading values. Their emissions are very small and they cause no noise. The
main disadvantage of the use of fuel cells is as mentioned above the high initial costs.

3.2.2.5 Wind turbines

Wind power generation existed since long time and it can be considered as distributed
generation sources if it is located near the demand source. Generally, areas with high and
stable wind speed over the year can have wind turbine farms. The annual capacity factor of
a good wind turbine area is 20-40 %. Typical wind turbine can provide its services for
more than 20 years with six month interval maintenance. Rotating axe of the wind turbine
transfer the mechanical energy from the wind to a gear box connected to an electrical
generator. Normal wind turbine sizes range from few hundreds of watts for residential
needs to huge turbines with the power of over 5 MW (Spera, 2009). The main

14
disadvantages of wind power reside in the initial costs in addition to the intermittent nature
of the energy source.

3.2.2.6 Photovoltaic solar cell

Solar cells have the ability to produce electricity directly from the sunlight by taking
advantage of photovoltaic effect (Williams & Ogden, 1989). Solar cells are constructed
totally of fixed parts; there are no rotating or moving parts within the solar cell. Typical
photovoltaic cell can produce a maximum of 2 W and about 1.5 V. For commercial and
technical reasons, multiple cells are normally grouped in series and parallel combinations
to produce more power and higher voltage levels suitable to be used in different
applications. The group of multiple series and parallel combined cells is called PV module.

3.3 Photovoltaic Systems

PV system is a system able to convert energy from the sun directly into electrical energy.
The main part of the solar system is the solar cell combined in groups to produce solar
modules and arrays. Solar systems are used to produce energy to be used in feeding
different electrical loads. Solar cells produce DC electrical energy that can be used directly
in feeding some types of DC loads; or converted through different converter types to feed
other DC and AC loads. Solar systems can be connected together to form larger systems or
even can be combined with public grids to exchange their power with. The general
structure of the solar system is composed of a DC-DC converter, DC-AC inverter, battery
system, controllers, protection devices, in addition to some auxiliary power sources and the
loads. Recently, batteries in solar systems became an optional part in the grid tied solar
systems; these systems exchange the energy directly with the electric grid with the need to
locally stock it. By consequence, costs of grid tied solar systems have reduced to half the
initial costs.

Solar systems can be found in different forms and sizes from residential application size of
less than 10 kW to medium size of 10-100 kW, and other large systems with production
capacity of more than 100 kW. These systems are either used as standalone systems,
hybrid systems in combination with other energy sources, or connected directly to the
power grid to exchange energy interactively.

15
Commercial solar modules produce the energy from the sun with an approximate energy
efficiency of 10-20 %. This means that 10-20 % of the solar energy falling on the module
is being captured and converted to electricity. Scientists and research laboratories are
making huge efforts to increase these efficiency ratios and decrease the costs of solar
applications. As a result for these efforts appeared the solar cells or Concentrated
Photovoltaic Cells (CPV). These systems focus solar energy on multi-junction solar cell to
increase cell’s efficiency. In CPV systems, the solar cells are fit in concentrating collectors.
Concentrating collectors use mirrors or lens to concentrate the light of the sun on the solar
cells. Some special tracking systems are used with CPV systems to ensure continuous
tracking of the sunlight. The main advantage of CPV systems is the very high efficiency
achieved. Some references concluded that CPV can produce an energy efficiency of up to
50 % (Luque, 2011). However, the need for special sophisticated tracking systems is one
of CPV’s costs.

3.3.1 Advantages and drawbacks of solar energy

Solar energy has its own advantages and disadvantages, the advantages of solar energy
systems can be resumed by (Deendayal, 2012):

1- Solar energy is available mostly everywhere and solar systems are flexible; they
can be used in different manners and can be easily implemented.
2- Solar energy is available when its need is maximum, the peak demand happens in
midday when the solar energy produces its maximum energy.
3- Solar structures can work for long periods of time with the minimum maintenance
and operating costs.
4- Solar energy is clean and environment friend, it is safe and cause minimal
pollution.
5- Solar systems are modular; any extra power generation can be added easily with no
extra needs or expenses.
6- Solar systems are the perfect choice to be implemented in remote areas as they are
cheap and reliable compared to the creation of public grids infrastructures.
7- The main and most important advantage of solar systems is that their source of
energy is infinite, charge free, and accessible all the time.

16
Although solar energy is clean and cheap source of power, it still presents some
disadvantages. The main disadvantages of solar energy are:

1- Solar energy needs to be stocked in batteries especially in remote areas; that

amplify the expenses and imply extra maintenance costs.
2- The most important drawback of solar energy resides in its initial costs if compared
to other large scale electrical power sources. However, in the last 10 years the
costs of the solar energy have decreased to about 50 % due to the use of new
technologies in their production and development.
3- Another drawback of solar systems is the variable output power that is a function of
the solar irradiation and temperature. Areas that have short day times or covered by
clouds for long periods will produce very low amounts of energy. Over more, the
efficiency of solar arrays is less than 20 %; this means more and more reduction in
power generation.

3.4 Energy Potential in Libya

Libya is one of the main exporting countries in Africa and the world with 6 million
populations spread over its area of 1.75 million square kilometres. Weather in Libya is
Middle Eastern hot in summer and warm in winter. Like most of Middle East countries,
Libya has high average solar irradiation that makes it a great solar energy potential. The
daily average irradiation varies between 7.1 kWp and 8.1 kWp (Mondal & Denich, 2009).
Figure 3.3 presents the solar map of Libya showing the solar energy distribution in the
Libyan territories. Until 2011, Libya had a large electric grid with big and well-arranged
infrastructures. 12000 km of high voltage networks combined with 12500 km of medium
voltage grid in addition to 7000 km of low voltage grid constructed the main nerves of the
Libyan national grid (Hassan, Nafeh, H.Fahmy, & El-Sayed, 2010). However, after the war
in 2011 the situation in Libya has changed and national electric grid became unable to feed
the country with the required energy. Many high and medium voltage transmission lines
were destroyed during and after the war and couldn’t serve the distribution stations. Power
consumption in Libya is in continuous growth. Load profile in Libya during the years
2003-2012 is presented in Figure 3.4. It shows a constant annual increase in the
consumption during this period except for 2011 where political and civil was events have
affected all the fields of the life including the energy consumption and production. Many
generation and distribution station went off service during the war that has a great effect on

17
the overall energy sector. Figure 3.5 demonstrates the growth in Libyan electricity
generation during the period extending from 2003 until the year 2012. The figure shows
that the energy production was growing in a fixed rate of approximately 7.6 % between
2003 and 2010. However, the energy production sector has faced some troubles during the
year 2011 as a result of the political and security instability. However, during the year
2012 the energy production sector has recovered its normal growth rate and the annual
production reached the value of 35000 GWh.

Figure 3.3: Solar map in Libya (Solargis, 2016)

18
Figure 3.4: Load growth in Libya 2003-2012 (Ibrahim & Khalifa, 2003)

Figure 3.5: Electricity production growth in Libya between 2003 and 2012
(Ibrahim & Khalifa, 2003)

19
3.4.1 Photovoltaic applications in Libya

The investigation in solar potential in Libya is still weak and need more plans and
governmental support. There exist four main applications of solar energy sector in Libya;
these are solar energy for communication systems, cathodic protection, rural electrification
and water pumping.

3.4.1.1 PV system for Libyan microwave communication networks

The Libyan communication networks consist of about five hundred stations of repeaters. In
the end of the year 1997, 9 rural stations were driven using solar systems. The approximate
total peak power demand was about 10.5 kW peak. Among the 9 solar energy powered
communication stations, four stations solar systems are still working after more than 30
years of service. The batteries of the system were replaced many times with an average life
time of 8 years. On the other hand, the other stations that use diesel generators have faced
many struggles due to the lack of diesel and maintenance. Problems include continuous
interruption in the communication services and stolen fuel and engine parts. One of the
most famous cases was in Zalaf station that went of service for 17 days during the year
1997 (saleh, 2006). Nowadays, more than 80 communication stations in Libya are using
solar energy to obtain their power needs. This increase in the number of solar energy
powered stations is due to the success of solar energy applications and the reductions in the
costs of solar applications. Figure 3.6 shows the relation between the number of diesel
based communication stations compared to those powered using solar energy sources
between the years 1980 and 2003 (Ibrahim & Khalifa, 2003).

Figure 3.6: PV and diesel stations in the communication network

(Ibrahim & Khalifa, 2003)

20
3.4.1.2 Solar energy for cathodic protection

The Cathodic Protection (CP) stations are usually situated at large distances from public
networks; this signifies that it’s impossible practically to use the public grids in feeding
these stations with their power requirements. A cathodic protection station requires up to
15 kWh daily. Solar systems offer a perfect and reliable source of energy for CP stations.
Solar systems must be chosen to fit best the load profile of a CP station. Solar systems for
CP stations can be set up in any place near to the station to convert directly the sun energy
to the required type of energy need by the station. For reasons related to maintenance of
diesel generators, the need for continuous supply of fuel. In addition to the lack of power
grids that solar resources were chosen as the best alternative for CP station empowerment
(Al-Jadi, EKhlat, & Krema, 2012). The first system used in CP stations in Libya was set up
into service in 1976, CP stations comes the next in the total accumulated solar power in
Libya after communication systems. By the year 2005 over than 300 CP stations were
powered using solar energy systems in Libya. The total set up systems produced about
450kW peak (Al-Jadi, EKhlat, & Krema, 2012).

3.4.1.3 Rural electrification with PV systems

The main problems that face the planners of power distribution systems in different
countries can be concluded in low population, and distance from the existing networks.
The extension of high voltage lines to cover rural areas through the desert is a very costly
process and needs special budgets. In the less populated countries of the developing
countries, just main cities are empowered through the public network. The electrification
of rural areas is accomplished by the use of other resources available within the
possibilities of the governments.

As an example, in a 200 citizen’s village located at a distance of fifteen kilometres from

the distribution station in Libya, and considering an average annual individual
consumption of 1000 kWh, the village will need 200 MWh per year. A price of 0.75
$/kWh will be charged to be able to provide such a village with electricity from this station
without loss which is 10 times the actual national tariff in Libya. For such reason, a rural
area was accepted to be a place having 200 citizens and situated at a distance more than 5
km from the low voltage grid (Al-Jadi, EKhlat, & Krema, 2012).

21
The Libyan national plan to cover all the cover all the remote areas by electricity is to
electrify all distributed houses and villages in addition to water pumping units. A project
for the electrification of 10 villages was presented earlier to be established as a first step in
this plan (Al-Jadi, EKhlat, & Krema, 2012). Some of these villages are:

a) Mrair Gabis village.

b) Swaihat village.
c) Intlat village.
d) Beer al-Merhan village.
e) Wadi Marsit village.
f) Intlat village.

The first works of installation of solar systems in this project was initiated in 2003. The
total number of installed projects by the General Electrical Company of Libya (GECOL)
was 340 with capacity of 220 kW peak. Projects that are installed by the Center of Solar
Energy Studies (CSES) and the Saharian Center is about 125 kW peak divided on 150
individual projects. The applications were as following:

 380 projects for isolated houses.

 30 projects for police stations.
 100 projects for street lighting.

3.4.1.4 PV systems for water pumping

Water pumping is one of the most suitable applications of solar energy systems. The
variable nature of the produced solar power is acceptable in water pumping applications.
The project of water pumping included the installation of 35 individual solar projects. The
total power generated by these projects is 96 kWp. Table 3.1 shows the total solar power
generation for different applications in Libya until the year 2014 (Al-Jadi, EKhlat, &
Krema, 2012).

22
Table 3.1: The total installed PV capacity in Libya

APPLICATIONS NUMBER OF SYSTEMS TOTAL POWER [ KWP]

COMMUNICATION 100 420

CATHODIC PROTECTION 300 540

RURAL ELECTRIFICATION 510 345

WATER PUMPING 40 110

TOTAL 950 1415

3.5 Methodology of the Work

In this research, a large scale grid connected photovoltaic system is designed with 14 MW
installed capacity. Details of the design include the total number of PV modules, inverter,
cables and circuit breakers. In this study, the main system design is undertaken based on
the amount of generated power. The generated output power from the PV system is at 0.4
kV voltage level. It is stepped up through 0.4 kV to 11 kV bus-bars by 7 step-up
distribution transformers with 3 MVA rating each. The output of the power transformer is
synchronized to the national grid at Houn substation less than 100 m of the supply point.
To achieve the power ratings, 7 arrays with 2 MW for each array resulting at 14 MW
generated power were adopted.

Results and objectives of this study presented in three main areas. Detailed design section,
Matlab/Simulink PV Simulation, and power analysis studies using ETAP. Design section
starts with considering the methods of connection of solar arrays and their connection with
the inverter and power transformers, cables selection, inverter selection, and protective
devices selection. Load flow, short circuit, harmonics and voltage stability studies were
carried out. The results of power flow, busses voltages, busses angles and line losses were
compared. Flow chart of the methodology is depicted below in Figure 3.7.

23
Design and
Start Collecting Data
calculations

Results Power system MATLAB

End
analysis study using ETAP Simulation

Figure 3.7: Flow chart of the station design and analysis process

3.6 Modelling and Analysis Software

In this work, two software packages have been used which are:

3.6.1 MATLAB / SIMULINK (version 7.8.0.347 (R2009a))

The Matlab is a high level powerful programming language dedicated for technical
processing and mathematics purposes, it has an easy to use and manipulate user interface.
Matlab environment presents mathematical problems and solutions simple and familiar
mathematical notation. Matlab has a very powerful graphical user interface called
Simulink. Simulink is used to build easily models for different systems. The interactive
graphical environment of Simulink simplified the process of modelling processes or
systems, removing all necessity of writing differential equations in programming
languages (MathWorks, 2016).

3.6.2 ETAP (version 12.6.0H)

ETAP is the most wide-ranging analysis software that is designed especially to design and
apply tests of power systems. ETAP program can use real data obtained from normal
operation of the systems to perform offline data analysis, simulation, energy management,
and load control. The name ETAP stands for (Electrical Transient Analyzer Program). It is
designed to be used by engineers to perform different tasks of power systems analysis for
different areas of industries in a one package.

24
CHAPTER 4
DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF GRID CONNECTED PV SYSTEM FOR
LIBYAN NATIONAL GRID

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the details of the design and calculations of 14 MW PV integrated to the
Libyan national grid at Houn city which is the capital of the Jufra District in Libya will be
presented. Also, mathematical modelling of the PV panels used in the design will be
discussed and presented; Matlab simulations of the panels will also be discussed and
presented in this chapter.

4.2 Design Procedure of the PV Station

This section introduces the design procedure before the integration of solar PV power
system into an existing grid with power generation of 14 MW. The main system design is
undertaken based on the amount of generated power (14 MW). The generated voltage is
0.4 kV and it will be stepped up to 66 kV. It is stepped up through two stages:

 First stage: voltage step-up from 0.4 kV to 11 kV by seven step-up distribution

transformers with 3 MVA rating each.

 Second stage: voltage step-up from 11 kV to 66 kV by two step-up power

transformers with 12.5 MVA rating.

The output voltage of the power transformer is synchronized to the national grid at Houn
main substation. To achieve the power ratings, 7 PV arrays with 2 MW for each array
resulting at 14 MW generated power will be used.

PV modules must be selected based on some criterions related to their efficiency, price,
warranty, life period, and atmospheric conditions. The selection must take these
considerations in account in order to guarantee the best performance, highest benefit,
reliability, at suitable prices. The first decision is to choose between mono-crystalline and
poly-crystalline modules. The choice must consider the price and efficiency as the first
criterions as the other criterions are approximately the same. Generally, the prices of poly-
crystalline are more expensive than the mono-crystalline panels. However, the efficiency

25
in poly crystalline modules is a little better than mono crystalline panels. Due to the high
costs of the project as the project needs a huge number of PV panels to generate the
required power of 14 MW. The Renewable Energy Authority of Libya “REAOL” decided
to use mono crystalline panels. Suniva ART245-60 modules of 240 Wp solar panels are
going to be used in the project. ART245-60 module is a well-known robust solar cell’s
type that is designed to be used in grid tied solar projects and power stations. The
characteristics of the ART245-60 are taken under STC “Standard Test Conditions” in
laboratory environment. The standard conditions are 1000W/m2 irradiation, 25°C, and 1.5
solar spectrum air mass. Basic features of the used modules are presented in Table 4.1
while the detailed data sheet of the module is presented in Appendix 2 (Suniva, 2010).

Table 4.1: Basic features of the discussed PV modules

Maximum power 240 W

Voltage @ maximum power point 30.9 V
Current @ maximum power point 7.95
Open circuit voltage 37.4
Short circuit current 8.44
Cells per module 60
β (Voltage de-rating factor (Voc % / °C)) -0.332
α (Current de-rating factor (Isc % / °C)) 0.035
γ (Power de-rating factor (Pmax % / °C)) -0.465

4.2.1 Design and selection of grid tied inverter

Inverter is a power electronic device used to invert/convert electrical energy from DC to

AC. The inverter is actually bi-directional device; the power conversion is achieved from
AC to DC or from DC to AC. However, it is mainly used as an AC generator (Rashid,
2001). The DC side of the inverter is fed from a battery or a group of batteries while the
AC side can be connected directly or via a special transformer to increase the voltage level
and improve the quality of the generated voltage. Inverters are used in UPS systems, static
compensators, active filters, flexible alternative current transmission systems (FACTS),
and many other applications (Rashid, 2001). The development of power electronic

26
technologies has led to a great evolution in the voltage source inverters topologies and
control schemes. Recently, synchronised or grid connected inverters are widely spread and
used in renewable energy applications. Such inverters has the ability to synchronise there
output voltage and current with the grid’s voltage. They can be directly connected to
existing power grid and interchange energy with the latter. Grid connected inverters have
greatly decreased the costs of solar and wind energy systems as they reduced the need for
batteries to backup generated energy. Instead, generated energy is being fed directly to the
grid that is considered as a huge battery for the power system.

Two types of inverters can be used in large scale projects; these are multiple string inverter
and central inverter. Multi string inverter topology is presented in Figure 4.1-a. Each group
of panels or strings are connected together and fed to a suitable DC-AC inverter. The group
of inverters are then connected individually and separately to the grid. The main advantage
of this topology is the use of small size and rating inverters instead of using one large
inverter in central topology. It also requires less maintenance in general than the other
topology. The failure of one inverter in a string system causes the failure of a part of the
system and not the whole system. Over more, the maintenance required will be considered
for that one inverter and not for the whole system. However, the initial cost of string
inverter based system is higher than the central inverter. String inverters are still new
topologies and not used too much in large scale stations. One more advantage of the string
inverter is that it can be connected with strings with different angles and different voltage
levels. Central inverters are the most used in power stations. Figure 4.1-b shows the
topology of the central inverter. Multiple PV strings are combined in a one DC box out of
which one connection is fed to a high rated inverter. The DC connection of multiple strings
implies that their tilt angle and generated power are exactly the same. Central inverter
requires less space and less initial costs compared to string inverters. However, the failure
of the inverter causes the failure of the whole system (Cenergypower, 2014).

27
Figure 4.1: (a) - String inverter a vs. (b) - Central inverter (Cenergypower, 2014)

Due to the low initial costs and the familiarity of central inverter in similar applications as
it is used widely all over the world in similar applications, central inverter has been chosen
to be implemented in this work. Details of the design and sizing of the system are going to
be discussed in the next sections of this chapter.

4.2.1.1 Design of the central inverter

The aim of the present study is to design a large scale grid connected PV generator. The
design must take different rating and power calculations in consideration to avoid future
failures and problems as much as possible. The system is going to be connected to the
Houn station in the Jufra district. The capacity of the solar system is decided to be 14 MW
of mono crystalline solar panels. The design needs to consider the maximum input voltage
for the inverter to find the maximum series strings or modules. Also, the maximum current
rating of the inverter is used to decide the parallel strings that are going to be fed. Cables

28
sizes also must consider the current rating of the strings. Central inverters of 1 MW rating
from ABB were chosen to be used in the project. Total of 14 inverters are going to be
connected and used in the system. Central inverter PVS800-57-1000 kW-C model is used.
Main features of this inverter’s model are presented in Table 4.2 while the documentation
is provided in Appendix 3 (ABB, 2014). To accomplish the design task of the project, the
total power was divided on seven fields. Each field has a power capacity of 2 MW. The
design considers the calculations for one field and then generalized for the rest of the fields
of project. Given that the maximum power of each module is 240 Wp, the total number of
modules to be used in each field can be found easily by:

2000 kW
Number of modules per field = = 8333 PV module
240W

Table 4.2: Features of the ABB 1 MW central inverter used

Model PVS800-57-1000kW-C
Rated power 1000 kW
Maximum power 1200 kW
DC voltage range (MPPT) 600-850 V
Maximum DC voltage 1100 V
Maximum DC current 1710 A
DC inputs 8-20
Nominal AC voltage (3-phase) 400 V
Nominal AC current 1445 A

The total number of the PV modules in the project is then given by:

Total number of modules = 8333×7=58,331 PV module.

It is important to remember here that the power ratings given in the datasheet of the solar
modules are measured under standard test conditions that are difficult to be achieved in
real life. The real maximum power obtained from the module is mostly less than this value
due to high temperature and low irradiation levels. The open circuit voltage values given in
Table 4.1 were given at standard temperature of 25 degrees. However, the temperature is
variable that can decrease to less than zero or more than 60 at the cell’s surface. For this

29
reason, open circuit voltage values are going to be calculated at the highest and lowest
temperature limits of the modules that are -40 and 90 degrees. The next relation can be
used to give an approximation of the open circuit voltage.

V (T )  V@25C  (1    T ) (4.1)

Where 𝛽 is the temperature de-rating factor shown in table 4.1. The maximum and
minimum voltages of the system can be given as:

(𝑉𝑂𝐶 )@–40 °𝐶 = 37.4 × [1 + (−0.332) × (−40 − 25)/100] = 45.6 𝑉

(𝑉𝑂𝐶 )@90 °𝐶 = 37.4 × [1 + (−0.332) × (90 − 25)/100] = 29.32 𝑉

(𝑉𝑀𝑃𝑃 )@–40 °𝐶 = 30.9 + (−0.332 %) × ∆𝑇 = 20.9 + (−0.00332) × (−65) × 29.8

= 36.2𝑉

(𝑉𝑀𝑃𝑃 )@+90 °𝐶 = 30.90 − 0.00332 × ∆𝑇 × 30.9 = 30.90 − 65 × 0.00332 = 24.32𝑉

From Table 4.2, the maximum permissible DC input voltage is 1100 V, and the maximum
power point voltage ranges between 600 and 850 V. It is important to notice that both the
open circuit and maximum power point voltages are maximal at the minimum temperature
-40°C and minimum at 90°C. These values are important to find the number of series
connected modules per each string that can be connected to the inverter. These values are
going to be calculated at the minimum acceptable temperature that is -40°C.

VMPPinverter 850
Number of modules per string    23.4 (4.2)
VMPP @ 40C 36.2

The optimum number of modules per string is found to be 23 modules per string. Now it is
important to find the maximum possible number of modules per string as follows:

Vmax inverter 1100

modules per string max    29.4 (4.3)
VOC @ 40C 37.4

That means the maximum allowed number of series modules is 29 modules. The optimal
design implies that the number of series module will be between 23 and 29 modules as
maximum. In order to find the maximum number of parallel strings, it is important to

30
consider the short circuit and maximum power point currents. The number of strings is
found as follows:

I max inverter 1710

String number max/ inverter    201.4strings (4.4)
I SC mod ule 8.49

This means that a maximum of 201 parallel strings can be connected at the input of the
inverter. For each inverter, taking in consideration the total number of modules per field
found previously to be 8333 modules that will be distributed on two inverters. That means
each inverter will be connected to a total of 4167 modules. If we accept that each string
will contain 26 series modules for better performance and security, the number of parallel
string is then given by:

Strings per inverter 4167

String number / inverter    160  201 (4.5)
Modules per string 26

From the previous calculation it was found that the design must use 160 strings of 26
modules each respecting the inverter and modules specifications. Figure 4.2 shows the
connection of the strings and modules as calculated previously.

Figure 4.2: The array configuration of the central inverter

31
4.2.2 Layout of grid connected PV system with the central inverters

Since there exist 7 distribution transformers with 3 MVA rating each, the modules were
distributed on 14 arrays. Each two arrays were connected to 1 transformer through two
separate central inverters. The seven transformers primary sides are connected to the 11 kV
grid bus bar. Inverters are connected to the panels such that each inverter is connected with
160 parallel strings, and 26 modules per string in series. Figure 4.3 below presents the
connection scheme of the arrays, inverters, transformers and bus bars.

Figure 4.3: General structure of the arrays with the inverters

The wiring diagram connection of the inverters output to the main AC combiner box is
shown in Figure 4.4. It must be mentioned here that the output of the main combiner box
was connected to a step-down distribution transformer from the secondary side. This
transformer is selected to be (11/0.4) kV, since it is connected to the inverter from the 0.4
kV level side. The 11 kV voltage level is selected because the Houn station has an 11 kV
bus-bars. The connection between each two elements is done through special AC

32
protection and disconnection circuits to ensure the total safety of equipments and persons
against any faults or electric hazards as shown in Figure 4.4. These protection circuits in
addition to the suitable cable sizing calculations are going to be discussed in the next parts
of this work gradually.

Figure 4.4: Wiring diagram of connection of inverters output to main combiner box

4.2.3 Cable sizing

Cable sizing is one of the most important issues in electrical works and installations. It is a
very vital measure of security to ensure the capability of connection wires to handle all
types of electrical and electromagnetic stresses under the different possible atmospheric
conditions. In addition, the wiring must not affect the performance of the designed system
due to extra losses caused by wrong sizing of cables. Cables must be sized to withstand the
current flowing through it, to support short circuit fault levels for short periods until the
tripping of protection circuits, to handle changes in temperature and moisture, to be able to
withstand the voltage levels they are carrying, and to ensure the minimum possible voltage
drop. The voltage drop in a wire can be given by:

 l
Vd   2 I (4.6)
A

33
Where:

𝜌 : is the resistivity of used wire which is normally taken to be 0.0183 Ωmm2/m for copper.

l = the length of cables in meters.

I = the current through the cables in amperes.

A is the cross sectional area (CSA) in mm2.

The multiplication by 2 accounts for total circuit wire length. We can rearrange the above
equation to obtain the following equation:

2  l  I
A (4.7)
Vd max

In the design of the system, a maximum cable voltage drop of 5 % was used and this is the
maximum allowable voltage drop in the international standards.

4.2.3.1 Sizing cables between PV modules

The cable is sized based on the following information:

Length of cable is 1.5 m, while the maximum current that can flow through the wire is
given by:

I max  1.25  I SC mod ule  1.25  8.44  10.55 A (4.8)

Where, the factor of 1.25 was considered for reason of security. The maximum allowable
voltage drop is given by:

VMPP mod ule  5%  30.4  5%  1.52V (4.9)

The wires are considered copper wires that have resistivity of 0.0183 Ωmm2/m, from
which the cross sectional area is found as:

2    l  I 2  0.0183 1.5 10.55

A   0.38mm2 (4.10)
Vd max 1.52

34
This means that any cable of cross-sectional area above 0.38 mm2 can be used for the
wiring between PV modules. However, this value is suitable to ensure the minimum
voltage drop, but it is not enough to ensure that the wires can handle the maximum current
flowing through it. By referring to the NEC tables for cable sizing it is found that a wire of
1.5 mm2 is needed to withstand a current of 9A while a wire of 2.5 mm2 is needed to
withstand 16A. In our application the maximum current with safety factor is 10.55, then
the best choice is a 2.5 mm2 wire. It is important to notice that special insulated DC wires
with PVC cover are used. This insulation is suitable to be used under ultraviolet rays
without need for any extra covering.

4.2.3.2 Sizing of cable from PV array bus-bar to inverter

The cable is sized based on the following information:

Length of cable is 20 m, the maximum current from array is 8.44 × 160 ×1.25 = 1688A.
The maximum voltage drop is given by:

Vd  5% VDC min  5%  600  30V (4.11)

The minimum cross sectional area is found by:

2    l  I 2  0.0183  20 1688
A   41.2mm2 (4.12)
Vd 30

That means the minimum cable cross sectional area needed to ensure acceptable voltage
drop is 41.2 mm2, however; the design must consider the cables’ ampacity. As the wires
need to handle an amount of current of 1688A, by referring to the cable tables it is found
that the maximum cable size is 240 mm2 and can handle a maximum of 400A. A good
choice of cables was found to be 6 wires of 150 mm2 that can handle a maximum of
1722A.

4.2.3.3 Sizing of cable from inverter to main junction (inverter / distribution panel)

The cable is sized based on the following information:

Maximum length of cable is 30 m; the maximum current from inverter at full load on each
phase (line) is given by:

35
InverterVAmax 1200
I phase    1.73kA (4.13)
VLL  3 400  3

The maximum allowable voltage drop is given by:

Vd max  5%  400 / 3  11.5V (4.14)

The minimum cross sectional area correspondent to voltage drop can be calculated by:

2    l  I 2  0.0183  30 1730
A   165.2mm2 (4.15)
Vd max 11.5

By considering the cable ampacity, 6 cables of 185 mm2 should be used to connect each
inverter to the bus bar.

4.2.4 Sizing of circuit breakers

Circuit breakers are installed in the system to protect against over current of the circuits
and sized to not be below 125 % of the current flowing through the wiring. The circuit
breakers used in this installation must be bi-directional. However, the sizing of circuit
breakers should be less than the maximum ampacity of the protected cables in the circuit.

4.2.4.1 Sizing of circuit protection between PV array and inverter

There are generally two ways of undertaking the circuit protection between PV array and
Inverter.

1- Each parallel string of modules can be fused before entering DC collection point.
2- The total output of the PV array is fused before being joined to the inverter.

In this study installation, the first option is used because that makes it easier to find
suitable DC circuit breakers at suitable prices.

The maximum current is 1.25 × short circuit current of modules (8.44 amperes) = 1.25 ×
8.44 = 10.55A

36
125
Therefore the minimum rate of DC circuit protection is 100 × 10.55 = 13.18 𝐴 per parallel

string.

4.2.4.2 Sizing of circuit protection on every phase output of inverter

The maximum current from inverter at full load on each phase (line) was found earlier in
this chapter, the current was 1730A per phase. During the cable sizing calculations it was
found that we need to use 6 cables of 185mm2. The best circuit breaker value for this cable
size is 300A circuit breaker. That means 6 circuit breakers with capacity of 300A are going
to be used at the output of the inverter.

4.2.5 Synchronization with the system

In a grid tied system, the synchronisation is a very important notion to take care of. The
connection between two power sources needs to take in consideration that the two sources
have the same variables. The variables that must be equal are the voltage, the phase, and
the frequency. The connection between sources is done just when these three variables are
equal in both sources. There are two connection points between the grid and the solar
system; these are the 0.4 kV level bus-bar and the 11 kV level bus-bar. Synchronization
must be achieved when there is a closed loop system; this is implemented by using
Synchro-check relay. Two voltage transformers (VTS) on phase measure the voltages, one
on the system circuit side and the other on the bus-bar. The Synchro-check relay compares
the line voltage and the bus-voltage, and then a closing pulse command comes from the
SCADA centre, and closes a normally open contactor if the synchronization conditions are
achieved, then the circuit breaker closes. The synchronisation is very important to protect
the systems from being short circuit connected to each other and it is used in all stations to
connect multiple sources of power. Table 4.3 resumes the cable and circuit breaker sizing
of the designed system as per calculation.

Table 4.3: Cable sizing for the PV system

Cable Cable Length (m) Cable size (mm2) CB rating

Sizing cables between PV modules 1.5 2.5 No

Cables from PV array to the inverter 20 6×150 No

Sizing of AC wires 30 6×185 300

37
4.3 PV Modelling Using SIMULINK

4.3.1 Electrical circuit models of PV modules

Models of photovoltaic cell provide a comprehensive description of the behaviour of

photovoltaic cell for scientists to be able to study it. A well-known model commonly used
in the electrical engineering is the so called single diode PV cell model. The ideal
photovoltaic cells model consists of a single diode connected in parallel with a light
generated current source (Isc) as shown in Figure 4.5. The equation for the output current is
given by:

I  I sc  I D (4.16)

While the diode’s current is given by:

 KaT
qV

I D  I 0 e  1 (4.17)
 

Figure 4.5: Solar cell’s model using single diode

The light generated electric current depends on both temperature of the cell and irradiance.
It is measured under laboratory special conditions. Thus:

I sc  I scref  ki (Tk  Tref )   /1000 (4.18)

38
Where:

Isc: is the light generated current at the STC (25oC and 1000W/m2).

Ki: is the short circuit current/temperature coefficient at ISCref (0.0017 A/K).

Tk and Tref: are the actual and reference temperature in Kelvin.

𝜎: is the irradiation on the device surface, and 1000W/m2 is the STC value.

The model presented in Figure 4.5 cannot describe the total behaviour of the cell under all
environmental variations. Some extra losses need to be considered in a more practical
model as shown in Figure 4.6; Rs and Rp are the series and parallel resistance losses.

Figure 4.6: Solar cell model using single diode with Rs and Rp

In this model, a photo electric current source Isc depending on the solar radiation, cell
temperature and voltage, a diode whose inverse saturation current is a function of
temperature, and two series and shunt resistances to represent different losses in the cell
are used. The formula that describes the I-V characteristic of the cell in Figure 4.6 is given
by:

VD
I  I sc  I D  (4.19)
Rp

The reverse saturation current Irs is given as:

39
  qVoc  
I rs  I sc ref exp    1 (4.20)
  N s K AT  

The module’s saturation current IQ changes with the cell temperature and is given by:

 3
 qcg AK  1 
I Q  I rs  T
 e   1  (4.21)
 Tref   Tref T 


Where, IQ is the diode saturation current (A). The formula describing the output current of
a PV cell or module of the single diode equivalent circuit is given by:


  q Vpv  I pv Rs     I R 
I pv  N p I sc  N s I o exp    1 Vpv   pv s  (4.22)
 Ns A K T    R

     p 

Where:

K: is Boltzmann’s constant (1.38 × 10-23 J K-1).

q: is the electronic charge (1.602 × 10-19 C).

T: is the cell temperature (K).

A: is the diode ideality factor.

Rs: the series resistance (Ω).

Rp: is the shunt resistance (Ω).

Ns: is the number of cells connected in series = 26.

Np: is the number of cells connected in parallel = 160.

Vpv = Voc = 37.30 V.

The formula described by equation 4.22 depends on the solar irradiance, and the cell
temperature (Abdulkadir, Samosir, & Yatim, 2012). Nameplate values of solar arrays are
given under STC conditions. Real operation conditions differ from the STC. The use of the
simple model of solar cell in our work simplifies the work without affecting the accuracy
or generalization of the theory. It makes it easier for power electronic engineers to consider
this model while working with power converters. The value of the shunt resistance Rp is

40
typically high such that it can be neglected (Abdulkadir, Samosir, & Yatim, 2012) (Yusof,
2004).

4.3.2 Simulink modelling for PV module

Mono-crystalline 240W PV Module is taken as the reference module for simulation and
the data sheet details are given in Table 4.1. In addition the simulation for one array of 2
MW is conducted and then the simulation is generalized to all arrays in a similar way. A
block diagram of the model based upon the equations of PV model is represented in
Simulink environment as given in Figures 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9.

These models are developed in moderate complexity to include the temperature

dependence of the photo current source, the saturation current through the diode, and a
series resistance is considered based upon the shackle diode equations described
previously. Since the main objective is to develop a functional PV model for the Simulink
environment, the system is modelled to supply power to the load.

T_new

Voc_new j

E Uoc_new

Voc_new

1 T_new
Scope
T
Isc_new i

2 E_new Isc_new1
E

Isc_new

Scope1
gama gama

gama
E Io Io Ipv _new Ipv
Ipv
Saturation
I saturation
65
Vpv
Ramp
Subsystem

Vpv
Vpv

Figure 4.7: Block diagram of the model based upon the equations of PV model

41
Tamb Tamb.
Tamb
Tpv T Ipv Ipv
Ipv
G=E

T(PV)-from NOCT

E E Vpv
E

pv_module

Ppv
Ppv

Product2

Figure 4.8: Masked PV module in Simulink

Figure 4.9: The final model of PV system

42
4.3.3 PV Simulation results and discussions

The model discussed previously and shown in Figures 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9 was simulated
under different conditions to evaluate the different characteristics of the PV modules.
Figure 4.10 presents the V-I curve of the system simulated in Matlab environment. The
simulation has considered 160 strings of 26 series modules parallel connected. The curves
show the variations in voltage and current under different irradiation levels and fixed
temperature of 25°C. Figure 4.11 presents the P-V curve of the same system under same
conditions of temperature and irradiation. These two figures show that the system has one
peak at which the system can provide the maximum power.

V-I Characteristic With Varying Irradiation – Constant Temperature

1500
G = 1 Sun Cell Temperature 25 Deg C
Solar Panel Current (A)

G = 0.8 Sun
1000

G = 0.6 Sun

500

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Solar Panel Voltage (V)

Figure 4.10: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) V-I characteristic curves

x 10
5
P-V Characteristic With Varying Irradiation – Constant Temperature
12
Cell Temperature 25 Deg C

10
G = 1 Sun
Solar Panel Power (W)

8
G = 0.8 Sun

6
G = 0.6 Sun

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Solar Panel Voltage (V)

Figure 4.11: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) P-V characteristic curves

Figures 4.12 and 4.13 present the variations in the I-V and P-V curves under variable
temperature and a solar irradiation of 1000W/m2. The figures show that the higher the

43
temperature the lower generated power becomes. Also, the figures show that the generated
voltage decreases slightly with the increase in temperature of the cells.

V-I Characteristic With Constant Irradiation – Varying Temperature

1600

1400
Constant Irradiation of 1000 W/m2
1200
Solar Panel Current (A)

1000

800

600

400

200

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Solar Panel Voltage (V)

Figure 4.12: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) V-I characteristic curves

x 10
5
P-V Characteristic With Constant Irradiation – Varying Temperature
12
Constant Irradiation of 1000 W/m2

10
Solar Panel Power (W)

75 Deg C
8

50 Deg C
6
25 Deg C

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Solar Panel Voltage (V)

Figure 4.13: Simulink model of solar panel (160 strings) P-V characteristic curves

44
CHAPTER 5
POWER SYSTEM STUDIES FOR PV INTEGRATION

5.1 Introduction

This chapter introduces the electrical power system studies for the project using ETAP
software. The used methodology is as shown in the flow chart of Figure 5.1 below:

Start

Prepare and verify distribution grid

Use the model without PV Add PV power to the model

Perform load flow analysis

Perform short circuit analysis

Perform harmonics analysis

Perform stability analysis

Compare and discuss the results

Start

Figure 5.1: Electrical power system study methodology flow chart

5.2 Load Flow Study and Analysis Using ETAP

ETAP software uses the buses voltages, flow of current and power in the system, and
branches power factor to perform load flow analysis. It is a very powerful software that can
analyse the load flow for loop or radial electrical systems. Furthermore, ETAP software is
designed to be able to perform different types of load flow analysis based on the custom
choices and purposes of the specific case.

45
The purpose of load flow analysis in ETAP is to build an extensive idea about the
behaviour of the power system under different supply and load conditions. It helps
electrical power systems planners to design and test the performance of their systems prior
to their installation and during their real time operation. It is also used to detect and
forecast possible faults or power flow problems to propose the suitable solutions. The load
flow Study is capable to define and adjust the parameters of the system for each case
separately. ETAP has multiple choices to define the display options based on the user’s
needs and requirements from load flow analysis.

Load flow analysis in ETAP is based mainly on numerical solutions of systems of

differential equations.

5.2.1 Load flow simulation using ETAP

This section discusses the implementation of Houn substation project simulation with the
14 MW PV plant as presented in Figure 5.2. Figure 5.2 shows the components of the Houn
substation in addition to the PV Plant model in ETAP. As discussed earlier in chapter 4,
PV arrays are connected through 7 transformers to the 11 kV bus-bars. The latter are
connected through 2 step-up transformers to buses 11 and 12 as shown in the figure. The
figure shows the load flow results for each one of the buses and branches.

On the figure buses voltages can be seen in per unit (PU). It is important to mention that in
Figure 5.2 the PV plant is disconnected. The voltage on the 66 kV bus 1 is 99.12 % while
the power of the PV plant is zero. Figure 5.3 shows the system load flow after the
connection of PV plant. The voltage at bus 1 has increased to 99.39 % while a total of
11641 kW is flowing from the PV plant to the system. Power factor of the PV plant is
approximately 1.

46
Figure 5.2: Load flow simulation with PV disconnected

Figure 5.3: Load flow simulation with PV connected

47
5.3 Short Circuit Study and Analysis Using ETAP

The ETAP has the functionality of Short Circuit analysis in electrical distribution systems.
It can find the short circuit currents and the contributions of each load in the short circuit.
Fault duties are based on the new editions issued by IEC and ANSI/IEEE standards
(ETAP, 2016). ETAP presents a very powerful short circuit detection and calculation
ability. It is one of the main short circuit analysis software used in power systems by power
engineers to estimate the effects of short circuit consequences in power systems.

5.3.1 Short circuit simulation using ETAP

Short circuit analysis was performed on the substation of Houn without PV plant as shown
in Figure 5.4 and with the PV plant connected as shown in Figure 5.5. The figures show
the short circuit currents at all buses and branches. It is obvious that the existence of PV
plant in Figure 5.5 has increased the short circuit currents slightly at most of buses.
However, the increase in short circuit current levels is very small and doesn’t introduce
extra problems.

Figure 5.4: Short circuit simulation with PV disconnected

48
Figure 5.5: Short circuit simulation with PV connected

5.4 Harmonics Study and Analysis Using ETAP

As a result of the continuously increasing uses of power electronic equipment like variable
speed motor drives, UPS systems, power converters, rectifiers, and different power
electronic devices, power quality of system’s voltage and current is strictly affected in
different areas. Components of higher frequencies start to circulate in power systems
causing the wave forms of voltage and current to be distorted. Such higher frequency
components are integer multipliers of the fundamental frequency which are known by the
term harmonics. The harmonic emitting devices are called nonlinear loads and include
power electronic switching devices, transformers, motors, fluorescent lights, arc furnaces
and many other different devices. Such devices cause very serious problems affecting the
power quality of power systems.

The existence of harmonics in any power system causes different problems and effects that
include but not limited to over temperature of equipment, low power factor of devices, low
performance of electrical components, unexpected behaviours of protective devices,
interferences with communication systems, resonance with other equipment that cause
failure of these equipment, noise, vibration of electrical motors, and other effects. Over

49
more, harmonic currents don’t stay near to their source; instead, they penetrate the
electrical distribution networks and start circulating throughout the electric systems. The
circulation of harmonic currents in the electric systems distorts electric voltages fed to the
other users and the harmonic problem is accumulated. This phenomenon has become a
main hot topic for power quality as a result of the increasing spread of electronic devices
and equipment in power systems.

Using computer simulation, the problem of power system harmonics can be modelled and
analysed. The ETAP harmonic analysis module offers a great tool to model different power
system elements and equipment accurately to study their frequency dependency, nonlinear
behaviour, and other effects of the presence of harmonic currents and voltages.

5.5 Transient Stability Study and Analysis Using ETAP

The ETAP is constructed to study the system’s dynamic behaviour and steady state limits
of a power system. This study or analysis is implemented before, throughout, and
following changes or disturbances in the electric systems. The program implements the
events and activities defined by the user to analyse the system. It then determines the
response of the system to these events. These analyses are important to determine the
protective and design parameters of the system.

Voltage profile is the numerical description of the system voltages at a given point,
generally a bus or a node of the electric system at some determined circumstances.
Examples of voltage profile are: no load profile, light load profile, full load profile, and
finally overload profile. In the most of power systems, voltage is limited to predefined
values that shouldn’t be exceeded. Some variations in the voltage profile parameters can
lead the system to instability. Voltage stability is a description of the ability of the system
to preserve steady state parameters and voltages at their state values after different faults or
occurrences (Cutsem & Vournas, 1998).

50
CHAPTER 6
RESULTS ANALYSIS OF POWER SYSTEM STUDIES

6.1 Introduction

To simulate a real system, models of each element have to be built and incorporated in the
power system simulation software ETAP. This provides the ability to simulate load flow,
short circuit, harmonics and stability analysis work in the same software environment. This
chapter introduces the results and analysis for electrical power system studies for the
project using ETAP software.

6.2 Load Flow Analysis

Load flow analysis is a great tool that produces essential computation practice in order to
establish the characteristics of power system under steady state conditions. In this thesis
load flow analysis for Houn substation which consists of 42 buses, 14 transmission lines
and 26 transformers in addition to switches and circuit breakers as shown in the single line
diagram Figure 5.2 and Figure 5.3. Modelling and simulation are carried out by using
ETAP simulation software for two cases; first case without PV connection and the second
case with PV connection. The results are tabulated as shown in Appendixes 4 and 5.

Tabulated reports show that integrating a PV system into Houn distribution network
improves the system voltage profile as can be observed in most of the busses and
particularly bus 10 which became normal after it was critical before connecting the PV
system. The importance of the load flow analysis is to make sure that the distribution
network is safe enough to be connected with PV generators. The results obtained from the
load flow study of Houn substation show that the use of PV generators at Houn power
station is safe, feasible, and advantageous. It can noticeably improve the voltage stability
at each bus of the system, and increase the voltage profile.

6.3 Short Circuit Analysis

The short circuit of power system under consideration is performed to identify the strong
and weak buses in the power system under disturbance. The possibilities for a short circuit
in three phase system are as follows:

51
1- Symmetrical three phase fault.
2- Single Line to Ground fault.
3- Line to Line fault.
4- Double Line to Ground fault.

Short circuit analysis basically based on finding the steady state solution of the power
system under study. This information is needed to determine the required interrupting
capacity of the circuit breakers and to design proper relaying system (Saadat, 2010). To get
enough information, different types of faults are simulated at different locations and the
study is carried out for two cases; first case, without PV connection to Houn network, and
the second case when the PV plant is connected to Houn network. In this thesis the ETAP
report results of short circuit studies is tabulated as shown in Appendixes 6 and 7. The
reports include the following information:

1- Short circuit contributions from all buses connected to the faulted buses or between
any other two buses specified in the input, or both.
2- Voltage at the remote buses where fault contributions are specified by (1).
3- System X/R ratio at the fault point for medium voltage circuit breaker interrupting
duty with its associated multiplying factor.
4- Symmetrical and asymmetrical current for breaker momentary duty.
5- Local and remote fault contributions.

The report includes input data, total fault level at each faulted bus, and also contributions
from all connecting buses. Short circuit studied diagrams for Houn network as depicted in
Figure 5.4 and Figure 5.5 showing all system faulted busses results.

6.4 Harmonics Analysis

Harmonics were presented earlier in this work and they present one of the most important
problems in power systems. PV systems can represent a source of harmonics to the grid
under some conditions; produced harmonics can be the effect of the solar panels instable
functionality due to variable irradiations or from the power electronic elements used as
interface. However, it is important to notice here that modern power inverters provide high
power quality factors. The injected harmonics by such inverters are mostly high order
harmonics that can be filtered easily.

52
In this research work simulations were carried out for the system under consideration, to
obtain the voltage and current waveforms at bus bars 1 and 2 which are the Point of
Common Coupling (PCC), where the study were performed for two cases one without PV
connection, and the other with PV connection. Figure 6.1 shows the waveforms of the bus
1 voltage before the connection of PV plant. Figure 6.2 presents the Total Harmonic
Distortion (THD) amounts of all buses after connecting the PV plant.

Figure 6.1: Voltage waveform at bus 1 with PV disconnected

Figure 6.2: Analysis results of harmonic with PV connected

53
Figure 6.3 presents the waveform and spectrum of the bus 1 voltage after the connection of
the PV plant.

Figure 6.3: Waveform and spectrum of bus1 voltage after using PV plant

From Figure 6.2 it can be noticed that THD values of voltages at buses 1 and 2 are 2.33 %
and 1.15 % respectively. The results show that the injection of solar power through solar
inverters causes the injection of voltage harmonics into the power system. However, the
THD values after the use of PV plant are still less than 5 % and don’t cause any problems
according to different international standards like IEC.

To improve the stability condition such as reducing the 5th and higher orders harmonics
and reduce the harmonic content in the waveforms, passive filters can be connected at the
common coupling busses as shown in Figure 6.4. The figure shows that the use of
harmonic passive filters has reduced the THD value of voltage to 0.63 % at bus 1 and 0.41
% at bus 2. It is important to mention here that the filter was tuned specifically to cancel
the 11th harmonic as it was the dominant harmonic as shown in Figure 6.3. It is important

54
to notice that the 11th harmonic was cancelled as shown in Figure 6.5. Another filter tuned
at the 13th harmonic could reduce more the THD and increase the power quality at bus 1
and bus 2.

Figure 6.4: Harmonic study with filters and PV connection

Figure 6.5: Bus 1 voltage waveform and spectrum with filters and PV connection

55
The complete reports of the study including THDV value with filters are depicted in the
Appendixes 8, 9, 10 and 11.

6.5 Transient Stability Analysis

Stability of power system is the criterion that guarantees it to keep in equilibrium point
under normal conditions; also to return to its initial stable conditions after the occurrence
of different disturbances. Unacceptable voltage profiles can be the main consequence of
the incapability of the system to feed the required reactive power to the load. Under normal
operating conditions, the magnitude of the bus voltage boosts proportional to the increase
in the injected reactive power on the same bus. However, unstable system occurs when the
voltage of the bus decrease with the increase of reactive power injection. The voltage
instability is a local problem; however, its effects can spread all over the system due to the
relation between active power, reactive power, and bus voltage.

Solar systems are nonlinear configurations because of the discrete operation and existence
of the sunlight, in addition to the switching scheme of the power electronic converters and
DC-AC inverter devices. The output voltage in a solar system, the generated current, and
the produced power are subject to dynamic variations at real time basis. The connection of
such type of systems has its side effects on the other different components of the power
system and its stability especially the power factor and voltage profile. In this thesis PV
plant is integrated at bus 1 and bus 2 as shown previously.

Dynamic voltage stability simulations were carried out using the ETAP software.
Simulation results demonstrate that connecting the PV to Houn substation increases the
voltage profile at the particular bus bar. Thus, integrating of a PV system into a distribution
network improves the system voltage stability.

In transient stability we studied about the behavior of the system under consideration
during the disturbance for large interval in both cases. The results are shown in Figure
6.6 and Figure 6.7. The complete reports of the study for both cases are depicted in the
Appendixes 12 and 13. Figure 6.6 shows the transient voltage that follows a three phase
fault applied to bus 1 and bus 5 with PV disconnected. It demonstrates a voltage change of
up to 200 % in bus 1 voltage. After the connection of PV plant, the same fault was
executed and results were shown in Figure 6.7. The transient voltage has decreased to 140

56
% and the time of transient was also decreased. These two figures show that the connection
of PV plant help stabilizing the power system and reducing the transient effects.

Figure 6.6: Percentage of bus nominal (kV) without PV connection

Figure 6.7: Percentage of bus nominal (kV) with PV connection

57
CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK

7.1 Conclusion

Libya is very wealthy in the solar energy and gains a huge prospective for solar power
generation plants. Solar energy is variable in the nature and depends on the site. The
unpredictable nature of this energy source has its great impact on the power system
operation and planning. The aim of this specific work is to evaluate the effect of the
integration of solar power generator in the city of Houn distribution station in Libya. This
aim was achieved by developing the design of PV system to be implemented in Houn
substation 220 kV. Sizing of PV system, inverters and cables were obtained.

In order to verify the design validity, different simulation models using MATLAB and
ETAP programs have been built and carried out. Real load and solar energy data were used
in the simulation to achieve more realistic results that can help for future analysis and
planning processes.

Investigation of the impact of 14 MW PV plant on Houn distribution power system in this

thesis was carried out and some analyses were established. The first study was concerned
by the slow variations in the common coupling point’s voltage. The second study was
concentrated on the study of short circuit faults at the coupling point of Houn power
station. These studies were performed in order to verify whether the Houn substation is
capable to hold the planned generation plant. After those studies were performed, another
analysis of the voltage stability on Houn station before and after the consideration of the
solar plant was carried out. Finally, the effect of PV system on the power quality at the
coupling point was studied by using the harmonic analysis tools.

The obtained results from the load flow analysis show that the implementation of PV solar
generation station at Houn power distribution station develops the voltage profile and
increase the stability of the system. Distribution lines’ losses are found to be decreased as
an effect of the implementation of the solar system. The applied analyses have shown that
the power station of Houn is in good status and its voltage profile is healthy before and
after the use of PV generation system.

58
The implementation of PV plant connected to the station of Houn has shown capability of
decreasing the transient effects of buses faults. This means an increased stability compared
with the high transient when the PV plant is not connected. The connection of the PV plant
has caused the injection of some voltage harmonics that started to spread over the network.
However, the amount of generated harmonics was within the international limits stated by
different standards. Tuned filters for the dominant harmonics were installed on the
connection buses to cancel these harmonics. Analyses have shown that these filters were
able to reduce the harmonics significantly.

From the work done in this thesis it can be concluded that the addition of support PV
power generation of 14 MW increases the efficiency of the Houn power station and
improves the voltage profile of all station buses. After applying a fault at 66 kV and 11 kV
busses, it’s found that the PV system is capable to develop the voltage steady and dynamic
state stability of Houn power distribution station. The PV system responded to the faults by
sharing in the voltage recovery during the fault and after it. No system tripping was
detected throughout or after the disturbance.

7.2 Future Work

Any scientific research can’t cover all aspects and investigates all important points at once;
some points need to be reinvestigated and studied in future works. Separately from the
studies applied in the course of this thesis work; that seems to be of the highest importance,
further studies of the impact of the solar systems on the connected power systems and
distribution stations needs to be penetrated. After the integration of DG stations, power
flow becomes bi-directional. In this case, different protection and interruption systems
need to be studied and introduced into the stations. Future works that are recommended in
other stages of this work are:

1- The reliability analysis on the distribution station of the security and adequacy of
the proposed system especially keeping in mind the intermittent function of PV
stations.

2- Further studies on the protection profile after the injection of PV generators.

3- The frequency stability of the power station under the effects of PV systems.

59
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APPENDICES

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APPENDIX 1
HOUN SUBSTATION LOADS

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APPENDIX 2
MODULE DATASHEET

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APPENDIX 3
ABB CENTRAL INVERTER

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APPENDIX 4
LOAD FLOW ANALYSIS WITHOUT PV

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APPENDIX 5
LOAD FLOW ANALYSIS WITH PV

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APPENDIX 6
SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS WITHOUT PV

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103
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111
112
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APPENDIX 7
SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS WITH PV

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128
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APPENDIX 8
HARMONICS ANALYSIS WITHOUT PV

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APPENDIX 9
HARMONICS ANALYSIS WITH PV

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APPENDIX 10
HARMONICS ANALYSIS WITH FILTERS AND NO PV CONNECTION

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APPENDIX 11
HARMONICS ANALYSIS WITH FILTERS AND PV

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APPENDIX 12
TRANSIENT STABILITY ANALYSIS WITHOUT PV

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APPENDIX 13
TRANSIENT STABILITY ANALYSIS WITH PV

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