On Estimation and Sensitivity Analysis of Distribution Circuit's Photovoltaic Hosting Capacity

A high penetration of residential photovoltaic (PV) panels can potentially cause a number of operational issues in the distribution circuit, necessitating the requirement to determine the largest PV generation, a distribution circuit can accommodate. This paper presents a Monte Carlo-based hourly stochastic analysis framework to determine a circuit's PV accommodation limit or PV hosting capacity. First, a mathematical formulation of the hosting capacity problem for bus overvoltage concerns is presented, followed by the proposed analysis approach. In the proposed approach, the Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the scenarios of probable PV locations and sizes while the hourly analysis framework is used to include the daily variations in load and PV generation. Next, a method to evaluate the percentage accuracy of the hosting capacity results is presented. The sensitivity of PV hosting results to multiple parameters related to both feeder characteristics and simulation method are evaluated as well. The utility of the proposed framework is presented using an actual 12.47-kV distribution circuit. In sum, by presenting a PV hosting analysis method, accuracy assessment framework, and sensitivity analysis approach, this paper provides a thorough understanding of the PV hosting capacity problem.