An Analysis Approach for the Assessment of Pulse-width Modulated Carrier Frequency Spectral Components in Power Distribution Systems with Photovoltaic Resources

Power distribution systems may have photovoltaic resources, and these resources may interface with the AC system via pulse-width modulated inverters. The pulse-width modulated currents have high-frequency spectra due to the switching frequency, which is typically 2.0–20 kHz. These carrier frequency components are asynchronous to the “power frequency” (the “baseband,” which is 50 or 60 Hz). Residential photovoltaic resources are in the 2–5 kW range, and “utility-scale” photovoltaic resources may be in the range of 500 kW. The pulse-width modulated carrier frequency components of voltage and current propagate in the power distribution system, and the details of this propagation are described. Note that the pulse-width modulated voltages are not harmonics of the 60-Hz baseband frequency, nor are the several pulse-width modulated voltages generally synchronous with each other. The objective is to describe an analytical approach for the assessment of carrier frequency spectra in distribution systems with photovoltaic resources. Analysis tools and experience with those tools are given. Information is given to distribution engineers faced with systems with pulse-width modulated inverter resources and advice on frequency ranges of study, potential modeling inaccuracies, and software tools. The results of a study on an actual high penetration solar photovoltaic feeder are given.