Evaluating unintentional islanding risks for a high penetration PV feeder

The continued adoption of DGs is quickly altering the composition of distribution systems (DSs). As the penetration and saturation of these new distributed generators (DGs) escalate, new challenges in the planning and operations of DSs are arising. At current penetration level, DGs represent a rare or minimal threat to the stable DS operation. However, in a fully mature marketplace in the future, high saturation of DG can create the need for more diligent review and analysis. Commonly-used software applications in utility industry are not capable of analyzing the challenges, especially those requiring time-based analysis. This paper presents a simulation platform which enables utilities to evaluate the risk of unintentional islanding of interconnected DGs. The platform uses available data from utilities' existing database to generate an accurate model of DS and calculates the run-on time of interconnected DGs after the loss-of-main grid. Results of a real case study shows the accuracy and functionality of the platform. The developed platform can be used by the utilities' engineers to facilitate the interconnection of DGs.