Impact of residential utility interactive photovoltaic power systems on the utility

A study was conducted to determine the effects utility-interactive photovoltaic power systems would have on the utility distribution feeder. The study focused on the effect photovoltaic generated power would have on the feeder voltage regulation and the effect inverter harmonic currents would have on the harmonics in the utility voltage. Up to 30% of the homes were assumed to have photovoltaic power systems with a nominal 5.5 kW rating. The short suburban feeder and the long rural feeder appeared to behave about the same for the same percentage of the homes with photovoltaic power systems. No significant problems were found that would limit the application of utility-interactive residential photovoltaic power systems in the cases studied.