With the evolution of smart grids, penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in the distribution networks has become ever-increasing problem. To improve network reliability, the complexity ...of the two important aspects of adequacy and security must be well assessed. There is a trade-off between adequacy of DERs, and the distribution network security, i.e. improving the adequacy can reduce the security. In this study, enhancement of the distribution network adequacy and security is proposed. In this regard, capacity of simultaneous reconfiguration and DERs sizing are utilised to improve the adequacy and security of an active distribution network. In the reconfiguration process, graph theory concept is adopted to implement a fast reconfiguration method. Since DERs are active, a combined bus and line security index is used to overcome security concerns of their existence. The IEEE 33-bus distribution network as a widely used standard test system in reconfiguration studies, and a practical 83-bus distribution network of Taiwan Power Company (TPC) which is a part of a real distribution network, are used to test the performance of the proposed method. The simulation results demonstrate the performance of the proposed framework.
Traditionally, the electric distribution system operates with uniform energy prices across all system nodes. However, as the adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) propels a shift from ...passive to active distribution network (ADN) operation, a distribution-level electricity market has been proposed to manage new complexities efficiently. In addition, distribution locational marginal price (DLMP) has been established in the literature as the primary pricing mechanism. The DLMP inherits the LMP concept in the transmission-level wholesale market but incorporates characteristics of the distribution system, such as high <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">R/X </tex-math></inline-formula> ratios and power losses, system imbalance, and voltage regulation needs. The DLMP provides a solution that can be essential for competitive market operation in future distribution systems. This article first provides an overview of the current distribution-level market architectures and their early implementations. Next, the general clearing model, model relaxations, and DLMP formulation are comprehensively reviewed. The state-of-the-art solution methods for distribution market clearing are summarized and categorized into centralized, distributed, and decentralized methods. Then, DLMP applications for the operation and planning of DERs and distribution system operators (DSOs) are discussed in detail. Finally, visions of future research directions and possible barriers and challenges are presented.
Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are being widely deployed, especially in the residential premises. Random PEV charging causes negative impacts on the power grid, a coordinated PEV charging is ...essential. Currently, PEV charging studies mainly focus on the active power control of PEVs while there is a risk of worse operation, due to the transferring of charging load instead of eliminating. Besides, existing PEV charging studies are commonly based on a three-phase balanced network model, but practical distribution networks, especially on the low-voltage level, are unbalanced. This study proposes a novel coordination strategy of PEV charging in unbalanced distribution networks, with the support of reactive discharging and phase switching. The optimisation model of PEV charging is firstly proposed to minimise the network loss and charging cost while maximising users’ benefit from ancillary reactive service. The optimal power flow problem defined above is solved by a combined solver of discrete particle swarm optimisation and direct load flow. Then, a coordination strategy of PEV charging, reactive discharging and phase switching is presented to apply the proposed optimisation over 24 h. Finally, detailed simulations are conducted on a real Australian distribution network, to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed optimisation and coordination strategy of PEV charging in unbalanced distribution networks.
Nowadays, strategies to cope with environmental issues play a crucial role in the development of planning methodologies for electric distribution networks (EDNs). The primary goal of these ...methodologies is to find the equilibrium point, for which the EDN provides a high-quality service with the most environmentally-committed operation. Based on this fact, an alternative strategic approach for short-term EDN planning is presented. This decision-making scheme is based on classical investment actions to enhance the EDN performance in which the investment and operating costs, as well as the carbon tax surpluses, are minimised simultaneously. Unlike the traditional short-term planning methods and to explore a more accurate approach, the electricity demand is represented by the voltage-dependent exponential load model. By using this representation, substantial benefits related to energy saving can be achieved. To validate the proposed planning scheme, several test cases considering constant power demand and voltage-dependent representation are widely studied on a 135-node distribution network. Additionally, the scalability of the proposed planning scheme is studied by using two medium distribution networks of 42- and 417-node. Numerical results confirm the robustness and applicability of the presented approach as an appropriate way of promoting to an efficient and low carbon tax surplus network.
The surge in the uptake of harmonic producing loads in 21st-century smart distribution networks has necessitated that robust data-driven approaches for harmonic assessment be developed. Moreover, ...there exists abundant harmonic data which can be leveraged on for the construction of this harmonic assessment tool. This is the objective of this study. Large volumes of time-stamped data acquired from a practical distribution network in Edmonton, Canada, have been used to construct a time-dependent cross-coupled harmonic model that has been combined with a formulated iterative time-dependent robust extended computer-aided harmonic power flows. The constructed harmonic power flow formulation also considered the constraints relating to the power conservation principle at the fundamental frequency. Practical network conditions including untransposed lines, load unbalance and skin effects of conductors have been thoroughly modelled. The proposed method has been applied to practical radial and weakly meshed medium voltage distribution networks and it demonstrated robustness to initialisation of the iterative procedure. Moreover, findings from this detailed data-driven technique reveal that harmonic impacts in the distribution networks depend on the quantum of harmonic levels, type of network and location of the harmonic sources.
A large number of distributed energy resources (DERs) integrate into the distribution network, which changes the power flow, increases the power fluctuations, and complicates the scheduling of the ...distribution network. To cope with that, a multitimescale scheduling method, which considers the demand response as well as user satisfaction, is proposed in this paper. First, in the day-ahead stage, both the generation-side and demand-side are combined to minimize the operating costs and reduce the impact of DERs. Second, in the real-time stage, the model predictive control method is introduced, smoothing the power fluctuations and maximizing the consumed renewable energy. Finally, the user comprehensive satisfaction is considered, ensuring the users' benefit and improving the flexibility of users to participate in scheduling while shifting electricity demands. By optimizing the generation-side and demand-side on both day-ahead and real-time timescales, the proposed method can improve the operation status for the distribution network effectively while ensuring the interests of users. Simulation on an improved IEEE-33 bus distribution system verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Large-scale integration of distributed photovoltaic (PV) and random charging of electric tourist buses (ETBs) pose a challenge to the operation of distribution networks in tourist attractions. Using ...voltage source converters (VSCs) to transform AC distribution networks into hybrid AC/DC distribution networks can effectively solve power quality issues. ETBs can also serve the distribution networks as mobile energy storage units when not engaged in traffic routines. This paper proposes a collaborative optimization method, which co-optimizes VSCs and ETBs to enhance the flexibility of hybrid AC/DC distribution networks and address the power quality issues. Besides, the proposed method can minimize power losses in distribution networks. To further consider the power consumption difference on mountain roads, an advanced time-space-SOC network (TSSN) model is proposed to model ETBs movement. Thus, the collaborative optimization method can be converted to a mixed-integer second-order cone programming (SOCP) problem and be solved by the solver. Simulation studies are performed to verify the proposed method.
The proliferation of distributed generation and the electrification of heat and transport pose significant challenges to distribution system operators (DSOs) and transmission system operators (TSOs). ...These challenges include the choice between network upgrades or operating increasingly constrained networks, with a reliance on the flexibility of distributed energy resources (DERs). This study presents a novel market-based coordination scheme, which allows both the DSO and TSO to access DER flexibility, while respecting distribution system limits. The DSO's objective in this work is to minimise the cost incurred by DSO adjustments to DERs, required to ensure stable distribution network operation. The methodology presented has the advantages of being compatible with existing TSO balancing market operation, and scalable enough to include multiple DSO markets coordinating with the TSO. The approach is demonstrated on a section of Great Britain distribution network, using high DER growth scenario data for the year 2030. The case studies demonstrate the proposed DSO market mechanism to maintain thermal and voltage limits during periods of peak demand and DER output. The DSO is given priority in using DERs to solve distribution network constraints, however, significant flexibility remains for the TSO even during periods of peak demand and maximum export.
Soft open points (SOPs) are power electronic devices that are usually placed at normally open points of electricity distribution networks to provide flexible power control to the networks. This paper ...gives a comprehensive overview of both academic research and industrial practice on SOPs in electricity distribution networks. The topologies of SOPs as multi-functional power electronic devices are identified and compared, which include back-to-back voltage source converters, multi-terminal voltage source converters, unified power flow controllers, and direct AC-to-AC modular multilevel converters. The academic research is reviewed in three aspects, i.e., benefit quantification, control, and optimal siting and sizing of SOPs. The benefit quantification indices are categorized into feeder load balancing, voltage profile improvement, power losses reduction, three-phase balancing and DG hosting capacity enhancement. The control of SOPs is summarized as a three-level control structure, where the system-level and converter-level control are further discussed. For optimal siting and sizing of SOPs, problem formulation and solution methods are analyzed. Besides the academic research, practical industrial projects of SOPs worldwide are also summarized. Finally, opportunities of research and industrial application of SOPs are discussed.
Water pumping in drinking water distribution networks (WDNs) can be treated as a flexible load in the power distribution network (PDN). In this article, we formulate an optimization problem to ...minimize the electricity costs associated with pumping subject to WDN and PDN constraints. In practice, both water and power demands are uncertain and pumps should be scheduled to ensure that pump operation does not violate either networks' constraints for nearly all possible uncertainty realizations. To address this problem, we formulate a chance-constrained (CC) optimization problem that simultaneously determines pumping schedules along with the parameters of real-time control policies that can be used to respond to water and power demand forecast errors. We use approximations and relaxations along with the scenario approach for CC programming to reformulate the optimization problem into a convex deterministic problem. We demonstrate the performance of the approach through case studies and also explore the impact of the relaxations, an approach to improve computational tractability, and tradeoffs associated with the way in which we define the cost of real-time control actions. We find that optimal scheduling and real-time control of water pumping can effectively manage water and power demand uncertainty, meaning water demand is satisfied and both the WDN and PDN operate within their limits; however, the approach is conservative leading to high reliability at high cost.
PDF
