Optimal management of the operation of a low-voltage network saturated with photovoltaic micro-installations

¹ Department of Power Engineering, Lublin University of Technology, Lublin, Poland
² Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Košice, Slovakia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 11 June 2026

Abstract

Connecting photovoltaic micro-installations to low-voltage grids is creating problems that were not present in the past. Periodic power flows towards the medium-voltage grid, voltage problems, and overloads occur. Current and voltage unbalance are also noticeable, especially in grids with operating single- phase installations. This article presents a method for eliminating these problems. The possibilities of reactive power regulation in photovoltaic micro-installations, phase changes in active power consumption, and reactive power regulation by the energy storage were utilised. The location and capacity of the energy storage were optimally selected. The use of various metaheuristic optimisation methods allowed for the optimisation of the operation of a low-voltage grid saturated with photovoltaic micro-installations based on an assumed objective function with appropriate constraints. The results of the analyses obtained confirm the effectiveness and feasibility of using advanced mathematical methods to solve various real-world and complex problems occurring in power grids. They are inexpensive to implement in practice and contribute to improving the operation and functioning of the grid.