Impact of Policy Reforms, in Response to Higher PV Penetration Challenges, on PV Energy Usage

The increase of Photovoltaic (PV) penetration levels in electricity distribution networks may result in PV energy generation exceeding the consumer energy demand for certain weather and consumer demand conditions. This will lead to reverse power flow feeding back to the distribution network. The complex architecture of distribution networks, the age of technology and the financial difficulty in modifying the networks has forced policy reforms by governments across the world. This paper assesses the impact of three of these policy reforms namely Active Power Curtailment, Fault Ride Through and Reactive Power Provision on PV energy usage.