This document describes modeling techniques and methods to study the impacts to the utility and to the customer of using DERs such as advanced inverters to provide voltage support in order to maintain voltage within the recommended voltage limits. For this, a method for accurately representing secondary circuits in distribution feeders is proposed and quasi-static-time series (QSTS) simulation techniques are used to study the impact of advance inverter functions to the utility for managing voltage and to the customer in terms of possible generation curtailment. This dissertation looks at factors in medium and low-voltage circuit topology that drive customer voltages with DERs, and investigates where along the distribution feeder are voltage based advance inverter grid support function most effective. The described modeling techniques and methods have informed policy and regulatory type decisions such as updating DER interconnection tariffs and standards.
