Decentralized active and reactive power control for PV generation plants using real-time pricing strategy

PV (photovoltaic) generation may cause voltage rise at the interconnection point due to reverse power flow, which is recognized as a critical issue for keeping power quality. This paper investigates a decentralized management problem of PCSs (Power Conditioning Systems) which are used to interconnect the PV system into the power grid. We consider a real-time pricing strategy of the operator who plays the role of a management office of a PV generation plant. Each PCS determines own set-points of the active and reactive power injections by solving an individual small size optimization problem that includes the conceptual price provided by the operator. This feedback interaction between the operator and PCSs eventually suppresses the voltage deviation. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is evaluated through the numerical and real physical experiments.