The influences of including solar photovoltaic system on distribution network operation using one of Bahir Dar radial distribution network as a case study based on selected parameters

There are considerable power losses as well as under voltage issues in a distribution network. Utilities can improve this by including solar PV installations into their distribution networks. However, the integration of solar PV systems could have an influence on network performance. The BATA, one of Bahir Dar's 34-bus radial distribution feeders, is utilized as a case study. This region possesses ample solar resources suitable for the deployment of solar energy systems. The PSO is employed to ascertain the precise location and scale of the PV system. The MATLAB software is utilized to apply the backward/forward load flow algorithm for calculating the voltage profile and power losses at each bus. Bus 34 and 744 kW are identified to be the optimal PV site and size respectively. The study evaluates the performance of the distribution network with and without the integration of solar systems, considering parameters such as voltage profile, power losses, and harmonic distortion. After integrating the optimal solar PV system, the minimum voltage profile rises from 0.8392 p.u. to 0.954 p.u, active and reactive power losses decrease by 63.27% and 66.723%, respectively and compliance with IEEE standards is upheld for both total voltage harmonic distortion and total current demand distortion. On the contrary, excessive-integration of solar PV systems led to abundance harmonic distortion, overvoltage, and high-power losses. The integration of PV is economically viable, with a payback period of 3.85 years. Overall, Optimizing the integration of the solar PV system is crucial for a substantial improvement in network performance.