(4) Rooftop distributed photovoltaics are restricted by the roof area and have huge power generation potential but insufficient upper limit. At the same time, regional electricity consumption is still growing rapidly. Rooftop photovoltaics alone cannot meet the demand for clean electricity.
This paper presents a review of the impact of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels on the distribution grid. This includes how rooftop PVs affect voltage quality, power losses, and the operation of other voltage-regulating devices in the system.
With the increase of PV applications on the rooftop in recent years, challenges such as voltage increase, voltage fluctuations, voltage unbalance and voltage instability occur in distribution networks.
Gernaat et al. (2020) estimated that the global suitable roof area for PV generation was 36 billion square meters. This represents a potential of 8.3 PWh/y, which is equivalent to 150% of the global residential electricity demand in 2015. This demonstrates the potential of replacing traditional electricity sources with rooftop PVs.
At one level, the problem is obvious: customers with rooftop solar panels buy less energy and pay less to utilities. But the issue is not limited to giant utility companies’ earnings potential. After all, we all use electricity and rely on utilities to maintain the power infrastructure. Why is solar so threatening to utilities?
Impacts of rooftop PV. In order to take precautions against voltage problems in the PV system, the net energy need of the consumer should be calculated. When the PV output energy is greater than the load, the voltage increases in the system, and consequently, RPF happens.