On the Integrated PV Hosting Capacity of MV and LV Distribution Networks

The increasing adoption of residential-scale PV units raises concerns about the potential interactions with MV networks as large volumes of generation connected to one voltage level can limit the hosting capacity of the other. This work investigates such interactions from an integrated MV-LV perspective by analyzing the impacts that different PV penetrations in LV networks have on the hosting capacity of a real UK MV network. Realistic time-series load and PV profiles for a summer day are considered. It was found that the major limitation on the hosting capacity of MV-connected PV units is due to voltage issues of LV customers. In addition, results show that the largest MV-LV aggregated hosting capacity can be achieved by having most of the generation connected to LV rather than MV, highlighting the benefits of small-scale PV. These findings demonstrate the need to adopt more advanced, integrated MV-LV models in future distribution network studies.