Comprehensive approach for distribution system planning with uncertainties

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive approach for the distribution system expansion planning (DSEP) that considers investment, operation, carbon dioxide emission and reliability costs, as well as uncertainties over load demand and wind-based distributed generation. A restoration strategy is taken into account for obtaining the energy not supplied under the ‘N − 1’ criterion and the corresponding reliability cost over a planning horizon. The problem is modelled as mixed-integer non-linear programming by using the artificial immune system algorithm. Also, two methods to represent uncertainties are applied and compared: an interval technique through an interval power flow and a scenario-based approach. Network constraints are considered, as the limits of current, voltage and power from substations, as well as the obtaining of radial and connected topology. The novelty of the proposed interval DSEP consists of handling the uncertainties over operation in an efficient manner through a single step, instead of the several deterministic evaluations of the scenario-based approach. Numerical results are presented for well known test systems, which show the potentials of the proposed approach.