Reactive power control methods for photovoltaic inverters to mitigate short-term voltage magnitude fluctuations

Abstract Variations in the output power of intermittent renewable sources can cause significant fluctuations of distribution system voltage magnitudes. Reactive power control methods that employ the reactive power capability of photovoltaic three-phase inverters to mitigate these fluctuations are proposed. These control methods cause the three-phase inverters to substitute reactive output power for real output power when fluctuations in the solar power are experienced, allowing the fluctuations to be controlled. Performance metrics for assessing the ability of these controllers to perform this mitigation are defined. The controllers are examined using the IEEE 123-bus feeder distribution system, and it is found that the controllers can effectively mitigate voltage magnitude fluctuations and that the appropriate choice of controller depends on the performance metrics of interest.