Efficient Strategies for Scalable Electrical Distribution Network Planning Considering Geopositioning

Abstract

This article presents a heuristic model to find the optimal route or layout of a subway electrical distribution network, obtaining full coverage of users in different scenarios and respecting technical criteria such as maximum distance to avoid voltage drop and capacity. In this way, the location of the transformer substations is achieved through an analysis of candidate sites. The medium voltage network will connect each transformer to a minimum spanning tree (MST), reducing the cost of materials associated with constructing the electrical grid. This work considers the latitude and longitude of each house and electrical count. Georeferenced scenario information is taken from the OpenStreetMap platform to provide an authentic context for distance and location calculations in the deployment of the power grid. The heuristic model offers to decrease time in solving the electrical network layout. As input variables, different powers of the "multi-transformer" transformers are considered to minimize the number of transformers and solve the power supply, reducing the transformers’ oversizing and minimizing the transformers’ idle capacity. The experimentation showed that none exceeded the limit allowed in an urban area of 3.5%.