A Cooperative Planning Approach for Resilient Operation of Active Distribution Networks Integrated with VPPs under Catastrophic Emergencies

The resilience of an active distribution network (ADN) is continuously threatened by extreme incidents. Cascading failures are the cause of most large-scale network outages in such events. Planning for resilient ADN operations under catastrophic emergencies is thus necessary for the distribution system operator. Fortunately, grid-edge flexibility can be a valuable tool in enabling resilience. This paper proposes a cooperative planning approach for the optimal partitioning and operation of ADNs with integrated VPPs in the form of multiple interconnected microgrids capable of successful islanded operation. On the grid edge, virtual power plants operate and control the distributed energy resources (DERs) and thus facilitate the ADN operation during emergencies. The uncertainty of the renewable DERs is, however, a challenge. Therefore, the proposed ADN partitioning model is formulated as a stochastic linear programming problem. Further, the operation model is based on the stochastic model predictive control technique. It has two parts: 1) the receding horizon day-ahead operation, and 2) the feedback correction for real-time operation. In the first part, the receding horizon day-ahead schedule is calculated following the latest forecast-based scenarios. In the second part, the receding schedule is adjusted based on the real-time forecast. Its effectiveness is assessed on IEEE 123 node ADN.