Flexibility Sources for Local Distribution Operators

This paper proposes an integrated framework that unifies many flexibility sources within the context of local distribution operators (LDOs) that are ranging from single-node to multi-node operators. The proposed framework aids the operators in recognizing flexibility sources within a given system application by decomposing a generic power flow-based model into semantically meaningful blocks. Further, these building blocks are considered as constructs that can be used to put together a community with flexibility maximized with respect to the desired objectives and applications. To reveal the effectiveness of the proposed framework, a test 6-node system with a given flexibility vector is implemented. The simulation results show that the operator is capable of cutting its operation cost by $\sim 21$% by co-optimizing the schedules of potential flexibility sources without sacrificing the customers’ comfort.

I. Introduction

The increasing adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs), electric vehicles (EVs), and smart appliances has transformed traditionally passive consumers into current proactive customers causing the supply-demand balance quite challenging for system operators [1]. On the other hand, however, these emerging demand-side resources can provide a range of flexibility for system operators to adapt their operation schedules and make their systems energy-efficient, if coordinately integrated.