Impact of the deployment of solar photovoltaic and electrical vehicle on the low voltage unbalanced networks and the role of battery energy storage systems

The deployment of low carbon technologies (LCTs) such as solar photovoltaics (PVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing due to their various benefits. However, their rapid integration in the residential networks imposes critical technical issues to the network operators. In this paper, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to investigate the impact of these technologies on low voltage unbalanced residential networks located in Northern Ireland. Different penetrations are investigated, and the results are assessed using various technical indices. The simulations are performed using actual load measurements in a 10-minute resolution obtained from the network operator of Northern Ireland. The impact of LCTs on the phase imbalance is considered by analyzing the voltage unbalance and neutral losses. The results suggest that monitoring each feeder and phase separately and consider the voltage unbalance in the assessment as it can be violated without a voltage magnitude violation occurring, in addition, the farthest nodes from the transformer bus were found to be very sensitive to violations. The solution-based community battery energy storage systems (BESS) is investigated by introducing sizing and scheduling algorithms to solve the network issues and enhance the network performance using black-box optimization. The results proved the wide capability of the community BESS in providing the network with different services. The main purpose of this study is to provide a full understanding of the future challenges posed by the deployment of LCTs and the role of BESS in accelerating the transition towards a low carbon future by supporting the network operation.