MAXIMUM PENETRATION LEVEL OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC TO THE ELECTRICAL GRID IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

• Main Author: Chua Kae Jiuan
• Format: text::Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: MAXIMUM PENETRATION LEVEL OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC
• Institution: Universiti Tenaga Nasional

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves and global warming are the two major challenges faced by the earth. Therefore, the need for sustainable source of energy such as renewable sources have become increasingly significant. In Malaysia, renewable energy (RE) was targeted to reach 30% by year 2030 in the Green Technology Master Plan, and the minister’s aspiration was for RE to reach 50% of generation mix by year 2050 since Malaysia is located within the equatorial region. This dissertation analyses the impact of Large Scale Solar (LSS) to the generic grid of Peninsular Malaysia and determines the optimal penetration level of Large Scale Solar beyond which the grid stability is compromised. A complete process flow is proposed in the study starting from choosing the potential LSS power plant sites, selecting base case, developing study scenarios and conducting power system studies for scenarios with different solar penetration level. Load flow analysis is executed to study the impact of LSS to the transmission lines capacity, bus voltage and fault current level of the circuit breaker in the network. In addition, the impact of increased LSS penetration level during normal steady state condition as well as under disturbance conditions over timescales of a few seconds to 60 seconds have been analyzed. All the load flow and dynamic stability studies are studied by using Power System Simulator for Engineering (PSS/E) simulation software tool. The studies showed that the maximum penetration level of Large Scale Solar is 22% based on the system off-peak demand. The studies also showed that the Large Scale Solar is not detrimental to the grid in steady state and dynamic studies as long as it is within the maximum penetration limit. However, if the solar penetration is beyond the 22% maximum penetration limit, transmission grid will be unstable under system disturbance.