OPTIMUM SIZING AND SITING FOR SOLAR PV INTEGRATION INTO THE 33KV PORT HARCOURT DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

The increasing demand for reliable and sustainable electricity in Nigeria has created a need for alternative generation technologies that can be integrated directly into existing distribution networks. Solar photovoltaic (PV) generation is particularly attractive for the Port Harcourt electricity distribution system because of the availability of solar resources, the modular nature of PV systems, and the potential to reduce dependence on conventional generation. However, inappropriate sizing and placement of PV units can result in reverse power flow, overvoltage, increased losses, protection challenges, and poor voltage regulation. This paper investigates the optimum sizing and siting of solar PV integration into the Port Harcourt Distribution Network. The 132/33 kV, 40-bus single-line diagram of the Port Harcourt electricity distribution network is considered, with the optimization objective of minimizing active and reactive power losses while improving the network voltage profile. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is adopted to determine appropriate PV locations and capacities subject to network operating constraints. The case-study results indicate that strategic placement of six 500kW PV units can substantially improve network performance, reducing active power losses from approximately 42,606.8 kW to 10,140.42 kW and reactive power losses from 120,286.1kVAr to 23,515.93 kVAr.  The optimal installation of the six PV units also results in an improvement of the average bus voltage from 0.90 p.u. to 0.95 p.u., while also raising the minimum system voltage from 0.836 p.u. to 0.88 p.u. The study demonstrates that optimal PV allocation can improve voltage performance, reduce feeder loading, and enhance the technical efficiency of the PHED system.