Visualisation of spheres of influence of distributed generation through critical line flow analysis

• Published in: Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks Grids and Networks, 2023-06, Vol.34, p.101046, Article 101046
• Main Authors: Nigar, Yasmin, Agalgaonkar, Ashish P., Muttaqi, Kashem M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Current and voltage sensitivities; Data visualisation; Electrical distance; Network visualisation; Quiver plot; Reflection; Sphere of influence
• ISSN: 2352-4677; 2352-4677
• DOI: 10.1016/j.segan.2023.101046

Power System around the world are transitioning into the phase of accommodating large scale and small scale Distributed Generation (DG). To harvest the benefits of DG, determining the most influential generator and associated network-wide impacts are crucial. This paper proposes a novel visualisation method to determine the sphere of influence of DG in the network using line current flows. The proposed visualisation technique trades off tedious calculations and provides information-rich overview of a network and enables distribution network service providers to make judicious decisions in order to determine sphere of influence of DG. The visualisation concept is tested on a 33 bus distribution network and implemented using DigSILENT Power Factory, Python and Matlab. •A novel visualisation method to determine spheres of influence of a DG unit is proposed.•Current flow patterns through line sections are examined using a quadrant based philosophy.•Identified DG spheres intuitively considering both real and reactive flows.•Undertook thorough investigation of the effect of different DG sizes on spheres of influence.•Proposed visualisation method trades off tedious calculations.•Proposed method assists network operators to analyse renewable rich networks.