THE ROLE OF SOLAR FORM

IN POWER FACTOR IMPROVEMENT

OF GRID CONNECTED SYSTEM

SUBMITTED BY:
U.S.KARTHIKEYA
REGD:11804646
SECTION:E1806
GROUP:A
ROLL NO:21
 OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
BALANCE SHEET
POWER FACTOR CORRECTION
UTILITY GRID
WHAT IS POWER FACTOR
POWER FACTOR IN GRID CONNECTED PV SYSTEM
OFF GRID AND ON GRID
EXAMPLES OF SOLAR FORMS
 INTRODUCTION

• MONITORING AND CONTROLLING VOLTAGE IN ESS IS A KEY AIM OF

POWER ENGINEERING.
• METHOD IS BASED ON REACTIVE POWER CONTROL IN CHOSEN NODES
OF NETWORK.
• LARGE PV PLANTS SHOULD BE INCLUDED INTO CONTROLLED NODES.
• NOWADAYS THE MANNER (HOW TO HANDLE WITH
REACTIVE POWERS OF PV PLANTS) DEPENDS ON LEGISLATIVE
BACKGROUND.
• FOR EXAMPLE PV PLANT IN CZECH REPUBLICABOVE 400 KWP MUST BE
EQUIPPED WITH DISPATCHING REACTIVE POWER CONTROL UNIT
BALANCE SHEET OF REACTIVE POWERS WITHIN PV
PLANT
• WHOLE PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT HAS SEVERAL ELEMENTS WHICH DETERMINE THE FINAL
CHARACTER OF INSTALLATION FROM POINT OF VIEW OF REACTIVE POWER. IT IS
NECESSARY TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT FOLLOWING COMPONENTS WHICH FORMS TOTAL
REACTIVE POWER OF PLANT IN PCC
➢
• INVERTORS
• LOW VOLTAGE CONDUCTORS
• TRANSFORMERS
• MEDIUM VOLTAGE CABLES
• MEDIUM VOLTAGE LINES
• CAPACITOR COMPENSATING TRANSFORMER
• TOTAL REACTIVE POWER
• INVERTERS:
• THERE IS A LARGE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS CONSIDERING ITS WAY OF
DEALING WITH REACTIVE POWER. THE BEST INVERTERS ARE ABLE TO
PROVIDE REACTIVE POWER ACCORDING TO THE REQUEST EVEN AS
AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF POWER FACTOR.

• LOW VOLTAGE CONDUCTORS:

• LOW VOLTAGE CABLES ARE CONNECTING INVERTERS AND POWER
TRANSFORMERS. THEY ARE VERY LITTLE OF CAPACITIVE BEHAVIOR DURING
NO-LOAD STATE. HOWEVER THIS CAPACITIVE POWER IS ESSENTIAL ONLY IN
CASE OF LONG DISTANCES WHICH IS A CASE OF DECENTRALIZED POWER
PLANTS.
• TRANSFORMER:
• TRANSFORMERS ARE INDUCTIVE IN NO-LOAD STATE AND INDUCTIVE REACTANCE
GROWS BY LOADING. VALUES OF REACTIVE POWER CAN BE OBTAINED FROM
CATALOGUE LIST

• MEDIUM VOLTAGE CABLES:

• MEDIUM VOLTAGE CABLES CONNECT PLANT TO THE SUPPLY SYSTEM. THEY ARE
STRONGLY CAPACITIVE AND IN CASE OF HIGHER DISTANCES (FEW HUNDRED
METERS) THEY ARE DOMINANT CONSIDERING REACTIVE POWER OF POWER PLANT.
• MEDIUM VOLTAGE LINES:
• MEDIUM VOLTAGE LINES ARE CAPACITIVE, TOO. HOWEVER COMPARED WITH
MEDIUM VOLTAGE CABLES THEY ARE MUCH LESS CAPACITIVE. CALCULATION
METHOD IS MORE COMPLICATED AND DEPENDS FROM MECHANICAL SUSPENSION
OF LINE.
• CAPACITOR COMPENSATING TRANSFORMER:
• IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER CAPACITORS INSTALLED WITH THE AIM TO
COMPENSATE INDUCTIVE POWER LOSS OF TRANSFORMER AT NO-LOAD RUNNING
STATE. INSTALLATION OF THESE CAPACITORS IS VERY FREQUENT AND SOMETIMES IT
IS CONTRA PRODUCTIVE SOLUTION. THE REASON IS THAT DESIGNERS DO NOT TAKE
INTO ACCOUNT GENERAL POWER BALANCE OF POWER PLANT. RESULTING REACTIVE
POWER OF PLANT CAN BE CAPACITIVE AND CAPACITOR WILL MAKE SITUATION EVEN
WORSE.
• TOTAL REACTIVE POWER:
• TO OBTAIN TOTAL REACTIVE POWER IT IS NECESSARY TO SUM UP MENTIONED
POWER ELEMENTS WITH APPROPRIATE SIGN. FINAL VALUE CORRESPONDS WITH NO-
LOAD STATE (WHEN THE POWER FLOW FROM POWER PLANT TO GRID EQUALS
ZERO). PARTICULAR REACTIVE POWER ELEMENTS WITHIN PV PLANT INSTALLATION
CHANGE BY ESCALATION OF ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION. AND THEREFORE FINAL
REACTIVE POWER OF PV PLANT AT PCC CHANGES WITH ACTIVE POWER VARIATIONS.
IT IS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DRAW THE SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTIC OF PVE
REACTIVE POWER. GENERALLY THE FOLLOWING PROCESSES ARE VALID.
CONTDD…..
• CABLES AND LINES BECOME LESS CAPACITIVE BY
LOADING AND FROM SPECIFIC POINT – NATURAL
LOADING OF LINE – THEY ARE INDUCTIVE.
TRANSFORMERS ARE MORE INDUCTIVE BY LOADING.
THESE ELEMENTS ARE DESCRIBABLE HOWEVER THE
MOST PROBLEMATIC FOR DESCRIPTION ARE
INVERTERS. THEY ARE ABLE TO KEEP CONSTANT
POWER FACTOR EXCEPT LOW LOADING WHEN THE
MOST OF THEM ARE CAPACITIVE. TYPICAL
CHARACTERISTIC OF CENTRALIZED PHOTOVOLTAIC
POWER PLANT OF SIZE 3 MW
• THIS WAS MEASURED IN MEDIUM VOLTAGE SIDE OF
TRANSFORMERS. INVOLVEMENT OF MV CABLE WOULD
CAUSE OFF-SET OF REACTIVE POWER CURVE TO MORE
CAPACITIVE VALUES. THE MEASUREMENT OF RUNNING
PV PLANT IS A MOST PUNCTUAL WAY TO CATCH REAL
BEHAVIOUR OF PLANT CONSIDERING ITS TOTAL
REACTIVE POWER.
• POWER FACTOR CORRECTION (PFC) IN SOLAR
POWERPLANTS:
• THE LARGE DIFFUSION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANTS
TO REDUCE COSTS ON INDUSTRY ELECTRIC BILL
BRINGS THE PROBLEM OF INTEGRATING THE PLANT
WITH THE EXISTING PFC DEVICES (OR TO BE
DESIGNED). A COUPLE OF INFORMATION MUST BE
EVALUATED TO AVOID FUTURE FRUSTATION ON
EXPECTED SAVINGS OR WORSE TO PAY PENALTIES
• A FIRST PECULIARITY OF THE PHOTOVOLTAIC
SYSTEM IS TO GENERATE ONLY ACTIVE POWER,
DECREASING ITS DEMAND FROM THE ENERGY
PROVIDER; THE REACTIVE POWER, HOWEVER,
REMAINS UNCHANGED BECAUSE IT IS DETERMINED
BY LOADS CONNECTED TO THE PLANT,
CONSEQUENTLY DECREASING THE POWER FACTOR
AND INCREASING THE NEED FOR PFC ,SO DURING
DESIGN WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OVERSIZING
THE REACTIVE POWER REQUIRED
 Graphically the active
power required from
loads P1 is subtracted of
the power generated by
photovoltaic Pf with
increases the phase
result P2 (active power
angle φ2> φ1 while cos
absorbed from the
(φ) decreases
distributor in the
presence of photovoltaic
system). The reactive
power (Q) does not vary
and consequently
• UTILITY GRID :
• A UTILITY GRID IS USUALLY A COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC POWER
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM THAT TAKES ELECTRICITY FROM A GENERATOR
(E.G., FOSSIL FUEL BOILER AND GENERATOR, DIESEL GENERATOR, WIND
TURBINES, WATER TURBINE, ETC.), TRANSMITS IT OVER A CERTAIN
DISTANCE, THEN TAKES THE ELECTRICITY DOWN TO THE CONSUMER
THROUGH A DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS REFERRED
TO AS THE GRID. SYNONYM:MAINS. ANALOGY: WATER UTILITY,
WHERE WATER IS TAKEN FROM A RESERVOIR, TRANSMITTED THROUGH
MAINS PIPES AND THEN DISTRIBUTED TO CUSTOMERS. IN THE CASE OF
A WATER UTILITY, THE "GRID" CONSISTS OF EVERYTHING FROM PUMP
TO CONSUMER'S TAP.
• WHAT IS POWER FACTOR ?
• POWER FACTOR IS A MEASURE OF THE PHASE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE VOLTAGE AND CURRENT IN AN AC POWER SYSTEM. IN PURELY
RESISTIVE LOADS (SUCH AS AN INCANDESCENT LIGHTBULB OR
ELECTRIC KETTLE) THE CURRENT IS IN PHASE WITH THE VOLTAGE AND
THERE IS ‘UNITY’ POWER FACTOR. CAPACITIVE AND INDUCTIVE LOADS
(SUCH AS A CAPACITOR BANKS OR INDUCTIVE MOTOR RESPECTIVELY)
WILL CAUSE THE CURRENT TO ‘LEAD’ OR ‘LAG’ THE VOLTAGE,
RESULTING IN A ‘NON-UNITY’ POWER FACTOR.
• POWER FACTOR AND GRID
CONNECTED PVSYSTEMS:
• MOST GRID CONNECTED PV INVERTERS
ARE ONLY SET UP TO INJECT POWER AT
UNITY POWER FACTOR, MEANING THEY
ONLY PRODUCE ACTIVE POWER. IN
EFFECT THIS REDUCES THE POWER
FACTOR, AS THE GRID IS THEN
SUPPLYING LESS ACTIVE POWER, BUT
THE SAME AMOUNT OF REACTIVE
POWER.
ON GRID AND OFF GRID DIFFERENCES

AN OFF-GRID SYSTEM IS NOT

ON-GRID SYSTEMS ARE SOLAR PV
CONNECTED TO THE ELECTRICITY GRID
SYSTEMS THAT ONLY GENERATE POWER
AND THEREFORE REQUIRES BATTERY
WHEN THE UTILITY POWER GRID IS
STORAGE. ... THE HIGH COST OF
AVAILABLE. THEY MUST CONNECT TO
BATTERIES AND INVERTERS MEANS OFF-
THE GRID TO FUNCTION. THEY CAN
GRID SYSTEMS ARE MUCH MORE
SEND EXCESS POWER GENERATED BACK
EXPENSIVE THAN ON-GRID SYSTEMS
TO THE GRID WHEN YOU ARE
AND SO ARE USUALLY ONLY NEEDED IN
OVERPRODUCING SO YOU CREDIT IT
MORE REMOTE AREAS THAT ARE FAR
FOR LATER USE.
FROM ANY ELECTRICITY GRID
DESIGN OF A 11 KWP GRID CONNECTED SOLAR
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANT ON 100M2 AVAILABLE
AREA IN THE BIRBHUM DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL:

MATERIALS AND METHODS

• TO FIND THE SOLAR PV GENERATION POTENTIAL IN THE BIRBHUM
DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL, SOLAR RADIATION OVER NINE MONTHS (JULY
2008-APRIL 2009, EXCLUDING OCTOBER 2008) WAS MEASURED USING A
SOLARMETER. THE DIURNAL VARIATIONS, AVERAGE MONTHLY OUTPUT
AND YEARLY OUTPUT HAVE BEEN CALCULATED AND THE RELATED
GRAPHS WERE PLOTTED TO SHOW THE SEASONAL VARIATION [16]. THE
MEASURED RADIATION DATA SHEET OF BIRBHUM DISTRICT FOR THE
MONTH OF APRIL 2009 HAS BEEN GIVEN AS AN EXAMPLE. DIURNAL
VARIATIONS FOR DIFFERENT MONTHS WERE PLOTTED THEN MONTHLY
AND YEARLY OUTPUTS WERE CALCULATED.
TABLE : CALCULATION OF AVERAGE OUTPUT APRIL 2009

DATE EFFICIENC SOLAR output Monthly Average

Y RADIATION output output
(WATT/m*
m)
05:04:2009 14.3% 780 111.54
15:04:2009 14.3% 860 122.98
26:04:2009 14.3% 890 127.27
04:2009 14.3% 361.79 120.6
 SYSTEM DESIGN
• GRID CONNECTED PV
SYSTEMS CAN BE DESIGNED
IN VARIOUS WAYS: WITH OR
WITHOUT BATTERIES, WITH
OR WITHOUT
TRANSFORMERS, ETC.
BECAUSE OF SHORT LIFE ,
LARGE REPLACEMENT COST
AND INCREASED
INSTALLATION COST,
BATTERIES ARE NOT USED
IN THIS SYSTEM. HOWEVER,
A TRANSFORMER IS USED
FOR BOOSTING AC OUTPUT
VOLTAGE AND FEEDING TO
THE GRID.
EXAMPLE -2

• THE VEPŘEK SOLAR PARK IS THE SECOND LARGEST PHOTOVOLTAIC

POWER PLANT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND THE 15TH LARGEST
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANT IN THE WORLD. IT IS FOUND NEAR VEPŘEK
VILLAGE, PART OF NOVÁ VES MUNICIPALITY, APPROX 30 KM NORTH FROM
PRAGUE.
• DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANT VEPŘEK BEGAN IN
OCTOBER 2009 AND THE GRAND OPENING OF THE POWER PLANT TOOK
PLACE ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2010.
• THE POWER PLANT’S OUTPUT IS 35 MW 
 CONCLUSION
YES, THERE IS BOTH INCREASE AND DECREASE IN
LEVEL OF GRID-CONNECTED PV SYSTEM
CONTINUES TO RISE, THE IMPORTANCE OF POWER
FACTOR
AND POWER FACTOR CORRECTION IS GOING TO
BECOME
INCREASINGLY RELEVANT BOTH FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF
THE UTILITY GRID
THANK YOU