Development of a power system simulation model for a South African commercial entity’s reticulation network

Abstract

Increasing electricity prices and the declining cost of renewables have led to several industrial, commercial and residential customers in South Africa pursuing the installation of generation “behind the meter” in order to reduce their electrical energy costs. This paper presents the process followed in developing a case file for a commercial entity to conduct steady-state power system studies to ensure safe, reliable and sustainable connection of distributed energy resources (DER) to the commercial entity’s grid. Field work was undertaken to develop the model parameters in DIgSILENT. It is observed that for existing connections it is not always easy to retrieve the correct information, leading to the need to make assumptions regarding some of the essential parameters. The methodology outlined in this paper can serve as a base for any entity needing to build a network model to gain insight into the grid impacts of DER on their network.