Optimal reactive power control of grid connected photovoltaic resources

As more photovoltaic distributed generation resources are installed on distribution power systems, selective control of the inverters connecting the DC power sources presents the opportunity to supply both real and reactive power at the point of common coupling. This thesis presents a simulated distribution system with individually controlled PV resources with the objective of minimizing total system losses while operating at the maximum power point and below the simulated rating of the associated inverters. The control strategy assumes the characteristics of the distribution system are known and solves for the optimal power flow operating point. The ability of each PV source to provide real and reactive power varies instantaneously as irradiance changes, so the operating point for each resource must be constantly recalculated and adjusted. The assumption of known system paramaters can be justified in a SmartGrid context, and a solution based on overall system power flow should be considered as a benchmark for any other state estimation or local control approaches.