Computational development of a practical educational tool for state estimation of power systems using the MATLAB optimization toolbox

Abstract

State estimation is one of the most important processes to perform a reliable monitoring and control of the steady-state operating condition of modern electric power systems; thus, it is currently a fundamental part in the development of research to enhance the monitoring and security of the smart grids operation. This important topic is taught in advanced courses of operation and control of power systems, for graduate and undergraduate power engineering students. However, the most used software packages for simulation and analysis of power systems by researchers, students, and educators have put little attention on the state estimation module. Due to this fact, this paper proposes an approach to develop the computational implementation of a practical educational tool for state estimation of electric power systems using the MATLAB optimization toolbox. In this proposal, the formulation of the state estimation problem consists of developing a general digital code to implement an objective function based on the weighted least squares method. While the lsqnonlin function of the MATLAB optimization toolbox solves the formulated state estimation problem. Simplifying both research and educational processes, this tool helps graduate and undergraduate students to improve learning, understanding, and the times of implementation and development of research in state estimation. Simulations of an equivalent model of the Mexican interconnected power system consisting of 190 buses and 46 machines are used to test and validate the proposal performance.