Impact of increased distributed generation on fault levels and the network equipment

Abstract

Attention towards the development of Distributed Generation (DG) is globally high. UK's concentration is to use sustainable and renewable sources to generate electricity thereby protecting the environment from getting polluted. In this paper, Distributed Generation concept is explored regarding the types, sizes, ratings, locations and benefits. It is very important to connect the developed distributed generator to the distribution network to satisfy the demand but without developing any faults and causing damage to the existing switchgear. Legal contracts that are required to be signed in order to connect the DG to the network and proper Protection Review to be followed in suppressing the faults are also mentioned. To study the impact of increased DG on fault levels, simulation approach is adopted. ETAP 7.1.0 is used to build a case study network and the results obtained are analyzed based on which critical comparison is made. The network comprises of three wind farms, each consisting of six wind turbines and a small hydroelectric plant. Various scenarios are considered and the results obtained are clearly analyzed. Protection is provided for the circuit and Star Device coordination study is performed. © JES 2014.