Optimal Power Flow Technique for Distribution System Considering Distributed Energy Resources (DER)

Abstract

Modern electric power systems consist of large-scale, highly complex interconnected systems projected to match the intense demand growth for electrical energy. This involves the decision of generation, transmission, and distribution of resources at different time horizons. They also face challenges in incorporating new forms of generation, distributed generations, which are located close to consumer centers, and new loads such as electric vehicles. Traditionally, the nonlinear Newton–Raphson optimization method is used to support operational decisions in such systems, known as Optimal Power Flow (OPF). Although OPF is one of the most practically important and well-researched sub-fields of constrained nonlinear optimization and has a rich history of research, it faces the convergence difficulties associated with all problems represented using non-linear power flow constraints. The proposal is to present an approach in a software component in cloud Application Programming Interface (API) format, with alternative modeling of the electrical optimization problem as a non-linear objective function and representing electric network constraints modeled through both current and voltage Kirchhoff linear equations. This representation overcomes the non-linearity of the OPF problem considering Distributed Energy Resources (DER). The robustness, scalability, and availability of the method are tested on the IEEE-34 bus system with several modifications to accommodate the DER testing under conditions and in radial or meshed distribution systems under different load scenarios.