A New Remote Tap Position Estimation Approach for Open-Delta Step-Voltage Regulator in a Photovoltaic Integrated Distribution Network

Abstract

With the rapid development of photovoltaic (PV) technology, more utility-scale PV systems are being integrated into rural areas where abundant and low-cost land is available. In these areas, step-voltage regulators (SVRs) with an open-delta configuration are widely used for voltage regulation. However, since SVRs were initially designed for tackling slow and smooth load variations, frequent PV output fluctuations can cause excessive tap changes. Moreover, rural communication facilities are normally expensive and underdeveloped, so only limited parameters are recorded with low resolution and reliability. Thus, much needed tap information cannot be properly monitored in a cost-effective way. In contrast, a downstream load center or utility-scale PV site is commonly well equipped with modern sensors and data acquisition systems, which provide the possibility for tap evaluation. Therefore, this paper proposes a new remote tap position estimation approach to accurately assess the upstream tap positions of open-delta SVRs from downstream measurements. Furthermore, the proposed approach is firmly validated through field testing under the support of the local utility and PV plant owner. This novel method not only enables reliable tap position monitoring with high precision for utilities to research PV-SVR interaction, but also provides valuable information to PV owners for correctly analyzing downstream voltage performance.