Optimal battery energy storage placement in highly PV - Penetrated distribution networks

Distribution networks (DN) have transformed more than ever before due to the penetration level of distributed energy resources. One of the promising technologies to generate power at the consumer level is the photovoltaic system (PV). To facilitate a higher level of PV penetration, DN planning and system operators encounter several challenges related to power reliability, stability, and quality that are affected by the intermittent nature of PV. A practical solution to overcome the uncertainty behavior of PV s is to use a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). However, the appropriate placement of the BESS in the DN plays a significant role to mitigate the higher level of power losses. Hence, optimal allocation is extremely desirable to maximize the benefits of BESS. In this paper, the optimal allocation of BESS in a DN with a high penetration level of the PV system is examined towards power losses reduction. The optimal allocation of BESS in DN performed using a genetic algorithm optimization technique. The optimal placement of BESS in DN was compared between an aggregated BESS and distributed BESS. The outcomes of both of them showed a reduction in power losses, where the optimal allocation in distributed BESS has the highest power losses reduction.