Category Archives: Technical

If you are considering installing a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system, but you are not sure how to do it safely and legally, these guidelines will help you to: Make informed decisions about what type of PV system to install. Select the best service provider. Understand all the key requirements before, during and after installation.

City of Cape Town’s quality of supply specification for embedded generators on the distribution network.

City of Cape Town’s embedded generator operations manual for category B and C generators (>1MW), which form part of their requirements for such generators.

City of Cape Town’s technical standard governing the connection of embedded generation to the distribution network.

Cape Town’s standard for the interconnection of embedded generation (City of Cape Town)

This information booklet provides information to municipalities that are experiencing an increase in the number of SSEG on their networks. The booklet focuses on the grid impacts of SSEG by introducing two tools: (1) an SSEG load from tool, and (2) an SSEG hosting capacity tool. (CSIR, 2022)

Recommendations for simulation studies as part of Grid Code compliance for Renewable Energy Power Plants and Hybrid Power Plants (P13906).  MPE.

The Deterministic Hosting Capacity Analysis tool is a DIgSILENT programming language (DPL) script that calculates the hosting capacity of a LV network through deterministic means. It computes the generation capacity that can be accommodated on each bus out of a set of selected buses (determined by the user) of a LV network without violating any voltage or thermal limits. However, it does not compute the hosting capacity of the whole network. The hosting capacity of each bus is calculated assuming that no generators are connected any else on the network. For each bus, the tool also determines where network strengthening can be applied to increase the bus hosting capacity.

The Stochastic Hosting Capacity Analysis tool is a DIgSILENT programming language (DPL) script that calculates the hosting capacity of a LV network using stochastic methods. The tool computes the generation capacity that can be accommodated by the whole LV feeder network without violating any voltage or thermal limits. Additionally, the tool provides results for a configuration that describes how this generation capacity can be distributed between a given set of buses/nodes (determined/identified by the user). The tool also provides information on where network strengthening can be applied to increase its hosting capacity. The nature of the algorithm applied is such that is closely mimics events as seen in real networks where small-scale embedded generators of random sizes are connected at random locations.

This user guide is intended to help the reader with using the hosting capacity analysis tool for both the deterministic and stochastic method. The hosting capacity analysis tool is meant for use in LV networks to assess the amount of generation capacity that can be integrated into LV networks without compromising the power quality and reliability of the networks under existing control configurations and without requiring network strengthening. This guide covers the requirements needed/prerequisites that need to be met to use the tool, how to import the scripts of into DigSILENT project, and steps on how to use the stochastic and deterministic hosting capacity analysis methods/scripts. (CSIR, 2021)