Effect of variable PV power on the grid power factor under different load conditions

The interconnection of renewable sources with the grid carries various issues. At different time of the day, there exist variations in the output power of the PV. In this paper, the effect of different amount of photovoltaic (PV) real power injection under different linear load conditions, such as, balanced RL and unbalanced RL loads, has been studied. As the power generation from the PV changes, depending on the loads connected to the system the power factor of the grid might change from leading to lagging or vice-versa. Multiple simulation cases are carried out with different loads to observe the changes in the power factor of the grid as the real power from the PV varies. Furthermore, it is observed that under unbalanced load condition, the balance active power injection from PV system may increase the current unbalance factor on the upstream of the point of common coupling. This paper suggests that a thorough study should be conducted while connecting a PV solar plan to a feeder where the load could be highly inductive or unbalanced.