Grid Value Analysis of Medium Voltage Back-to-Back Converter on DER Hosting Enhancement

TL;DR

This paper introduces a scalable methodology to quantify the grid value of medium-voltage back-to-back converters in enhancing distributed energy resource hosting, demonstrated through case studies on solar PV systems.

Contribution

It presents a systematic, transferable approach to evaluate the benefits of MVB2B converters for DER utilization, including curtailment reduction and capacity enhancement.

Findings

MVB2B converters significantly increase PV hosting capacity.

The methodology effectively quantifies DER hosting improvements.

Case studies validate the economic and operational benefits.

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the value that can be realized by medium-voltage back-to-back (MVB2B) converters in terms of increased utilization rate of distributed energy resource (DER) and the improvement in operational conditions. A systematic, transferrable, and scalable methodology has been designed to analyze and quantify the increased DER value from three perspectives: 1) curtailment reduction of the DER generation, 2) size reduction of the energy storage needed to otherwise realize DER hosting levels, and 3) hosting capacity improvement of DER compared to base distribution circuit capability. In the case study, the proposed methodology is applied to two utility distribution systems for analysis and quantification of the grid value of the MVB2B converter, installed in the distribution circuit, and provided to the solar photovoltaic (PV) DERs. The analysis results demonstrate that the MVB2B converter can deliver significant value to PV hosting enhancement of two adjacent distribution systems when they are connected by the MVB2B converter. Based on this case study, this paper analyzes and summarizes the approximate realized grid value of the MVB2B converter for distribution systems dominated by different shares of customer classes.