Impacts of high penetration of photovoltaic integration in Malta

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) market is the fastest growing electrical energy generation industry with an average yearly growth of more than 40%. Well integrated distributed PVs will help tomorrow’s energy system become more sustainable. In addition, the uptake of electric mobility through the integration of Electric Vehicles (EV) may mitigate voltage issues caused by PV integration due to increase in electrical energy loads. This study presents the first-ever combined PV and EV study on the Maltese islands on a real Low Voltage (LV) network located at the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Real smart meter 15-minute resolution and EV charging data profiles are considered. The methodology uses a Monte Carlo technique to provide stochastic framework of assessing impacts of residential-scale PV integration and eventual EV mitigation support. The results analyzed during one day with low consumption and high PV generation shows that voltage challenges are more constraining while no overloading of feeders was seen. In addition, similar penetration levels of EVs has shown considerable mitigation effects. The pro-active study illustrates considerably low PV and minimal EV integration issues compared to other studies in literature due to already existing infrastructure.