Constraint-Based Hosting Capacity Assessment of High-Penetration Residential PV in Low-Voltage Distribution Networks

reprint, amsmath,amssymb, aps, ]revtex4-2 Abstract—High penetration of residential photovoltaic (PV) systems presents voltage regulation and phase balance challenges in low-voltage (LV) distribution networks, particularly in devel oping grids lacking advanced automation. This paper presents a constraint-based hosting capacity assessment of a real suburban LV feeder in Lahore, Pakistan, using field-calibrated time-series simulations under representative summer and winter conditions. Voltage quality compliance is evaluated against NEPRA’s OS4 requirement (230 V ±5% for at least 95% of consumers). Results demonstrate that uncoordinated single-phase PV deployment significantly reduces practical hosting capacity due to phase imbalance and winter overvoltage. By contrast, limiting instal lations to 3 kW per household with balanced phase allocation ensures full feeder penetration while maintaining voltage and transformer compliance, without reliance on smart inverter control or network reinforcement. The study provides a planning-level operational envelope for high-PV LV feeders in weak grids, highlighting the dominant role of voltage constraints and feeder impedance in determining hosting capacity.