Effect of Photovoltaic Penetration Level and Location on Power System Transient Stability during Symmetrical and Unsymmetrical Faults

Due to the constant growth in the power demand and the raised risks from unsustainable energy resources, it is essential to continue investigating the operations of renewable energy sources (RESs), such as photovoltaic (PV) systems. Integrating conventional power system with PV plants creates challenges that affect the overall stability of the power system. In this work, the effects of PV penetration levels, PV location, type of faults, and inertia reduction of the conventional synchronous generators on the transient stability of the power system are examined. This is done on 9-bus system based on the critical clearing time values required for the operation of protective devices. It is found that higher PV penetration levels increase the critical clearing times resulting in an improved stability response. Further, the stability of the system under distributed- or concentrated-PV generation depend highly on the location of the PV. Moreover, extensive analysis on the impact of a variety of faults on systems stability are provided (symmetrical vs. unsymmetrical, permanent vs. temporary). The findings of this study indicate that systems experiencing symmetrical faults had lower critical clearing times and tend to be less stable than systems under unsymmetrical faults. Also, the system stability is notably more impacted by permanent faults as opposed to temporary ones with a case of an increase of 80 ms (29.62%). Finally, the negative effect of conventional system inertia reduction on the systems stability is demonstrated with differences reaching 250 ms (28% reduction).