Analytical Power Loss Sensitivity Analysis in Distribution Systems

Abstract

Distribution systems are experiencing various structural changes with increased integration of distributed energy resources (DERs), electric vehicles (EVs), and energy storage systems (ESSs). These changes are forcing utilities to carefully track operational parameters such as voltage states, line flows and system power losses. Studying the sensitivity of power loss in the system aids in several downstream applications such as optimal DER and EV management. Conventional methods for studying the impact DER and EV integration on losses are based on classical methods that utilize either perturb and observe methods or the system Jacobian for deriving the sensitivity of losses with respect to complex power changes in the system. These classical methods are slow and lack flexibility. Therefore, the development of a quick, yet accurate method for analyzing system losses is essential for enhancing system efficiency. The present work tackles this problem and proposes a new low-complexity analytical approach to compute the sensitivity of individual line and system losses to changes in complex power at any system nodes. The proposed approach is tested on the IEEE 69 distribution system and verified against classical load flow based method. Results indicate that the proposed method is accurate and has an edge compared to classical load flow based method in terms of computational complexity and execution time.