Regional Analysis of the German Power Grid Regarding the Increasing Penetration of Photovoltaic Distributed Generation

SANCHEZ, ANDRÉS GERMÁN; RIZZATO LEDE, ADRIEL MARCOS; BÄRWALDT, GUNNAR; MOLINA, MARCELO GUSTAVO

Mard del Plata

Congreso; Congreso Iberoamericano de Hidrógeno y Fuentes Sustentables de Energía: HYFUSEN 2011; 2011

Instituto de Energía y Desarrollo Sustentable - Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica

The grid integration of photovoltaic (PV) solar generation systems has become the most important application of PV systems, gaining interest over traditional stand-alone systems. This trend is being increased mainly because of the strong support provided by governments of different countries, as investment subsidies and incentives that establish an economically attractive feed-in tariff (FIT) on power generated from this renewable energy source (RES). In Germany, this situation has caused the increase of the installed PV generation capacity in recent years. High penetration levels of this intermittent energy source can affect many aspects of the electric grid, and might cause undesirable effects, particularly in those moments when generation exceeds the load with reverse power flow through lines and transformers. This situation can be aggravated by the demographic behavior of some regions from Germany, with a population’s decreasing tendency that affects the load. This paper aims at analyzing the impact of the increasing penetration of PV generation on the grid, for the different electrical regions of Germany, and its future behavior.