On Distribution Grid Optimal Power Flow Development and Integration

TL;DR

This paper proposes a structured development and integration approach for distribution grid optimal power flow (DOPF), including solution benchmarking and co-simulation integration to enhance practical deployment in the utility industry.

Contribution

It introduces a three-step development process for DOPF and a federated co-simulation framework for better integration and real-world applicability.

Findings

Tractable DOPF formulations improve solution efficiency.

Benchmarking enhances algorithm reliability.

Co-simulation demonstrates practical deployment potential.

Abstract

Due to changes in electric distribution grid operation, new operation regimes have been recommended. Distribution grid optimal power flow (DOPF) has received tremendous attention in the research community, yet it has not been fully adopted across the utility industry. Our paper recognizes this problem and suggests a development and integration procedure for DOPF. We propose development of DOPF as a three step procedure of 1) processing the grid, 2) obtaining a tractable solution, and 3) implementing multiple solution algorithms and benchmarking them to improve application reliability. For the integration of DOPF, we demonstrate how a DOPF federate may be developed that can be integrated in a co-simulation environment to mimic the real-world conditions and hence improve its practicality to be deployed in the field. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methods, tests on IEEE 123-bus system are performed where the usage of tractable formulation in DOPF algorithm development and its comparison to the benchmark solution are demonstrated.