Assessing the Balancing Capability and Grid Integration Performance of Various Solar PV Systems

Solar photovoltaic energy production fluctuates rapidly due to sunlight and temperature. The fluctuations have to be balanced against the distribution system in which they connect. This paper examines four different types of solar photovoltaic systems; they include monocrystalline roof-top, multi-crystalline roof-top, ground mounted, and battery supported roof-top solar photovoltaic systems. A systematic comparative analysis takes into account balancing and integration indicators. Balancing efficiency is measured using the useful supply, curtailment, conversion loss, and residual imbalance energy. Integration efficiency is assessed based on voltage behavior, ramp control, power factor, controllability, and suitability. Data has been taken from research literature and other accepted references; the analysis has made use of standardized scores and not the actual field data. From the analysis, battery supported photovoltaic systems perform better with a balancing index of 90 and a grid integration score of 91. For the ground mounted systems, it is 79 and 82, respectively, while roof-top systems perform moderately well. While the type of technology affects energy production, system design affected balancing performance significantly. Inverter intelligence, prediction, storage, and coordination improved integration performance.