Photovoltaic penetration issues and impacts in distribution network – A review M. Karimi a , H. Mokhlis a,b,n , K. Naidu a , S. Uddin c , A.H.A. Bakar b a Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia b University of Malaya Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), Level 4, Wisma R&D UM, University of Malaya, 59990 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia c School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia article info Article history: Received 3 November 2014 Received in revised form 19 May 2015 Accepted 2 August 2015 Keywords: Harmonics Islanding detection method PV penetration issues Renewable energy sources Voltage fluctuation Voltage imbalance abstract The solar energy generation has grown significantly in the past years. The importance of PV penetration in power system as a major element of renewable energy source has seen it being widely used on a global scale. Despite its promising success, PV penetration presents various issues and its impact on the dis- tribution system has to address for seamless integration in the power system. In this paper, a compre- hensive overview on important issues affecting the distribution system as a result of PV penetration is presented. Pertinent issues such as voltage fluctuation, voltage rise, voltage balance, and harmonics and their effect on the system are discussed in details. The islanding issues, which are of critical importance to the stability and integrity of the system, are also thoroughly reviewed. Details on different islanding techniques – remote and local techniques and their advantage and disadvantages are shown. Therefore, this paper can provide useful information and serve as a reference for researchers and utility engineers on issues to be considered with regards to PV penetration. & 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 594 2. PV installed capacity and generation scale................................................................................ 595 3. Impact of PV in distribution system ..................................................................................... 596 4. Voltage fluctuation and voltage regulation problem ........................................................................ 596 4.1. Voltage fluctuation effects ....................................................................................... 596 4.2. Voltage rise .................................................................................................. 596 4.3. Voltage unbalance ............................................................................................. 598 5. Harmonics ......................................................................................................... 598 6. Islanding detection and islanding operation .............................................................................. 599 6.1. Remote technique ............................................................................................. 600 6.2. Local technique ............................................................................................... 600 7. Standards and guidelines ............................................................................................. 602 8. Technical solution ................................................................................................... 603 9. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 603 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................... 603 References ............................................................................................................. 603 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.08.042 1364-0321/& 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. n Corresponding author at: Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel.: þ60 3 7967 5238. E-mail addresses: mazaher@um.edu.my, karimimazi@gmail.com (M. Karimi). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 53 (2016) 594–605