Distribution Network Operation by Coordination of Flexible Loads, SOP, and Smart Transformer

The penetration of embedded generation, including renewable power sources (wind and solar), is gradually increasing in power distribution networks. Also, the transition from conventional fossil fuel-based transportation to e-transportation has introduced electric vehicle charging stations as a new load class. The conventional distribution system architecture alteration has made the system operation rather challenging. Therefore, an efficient energy management scheme is crucial to the satisfactory operation of an active distribution system from techno-economic considerations. This paper proposes an optimal operating strategy to simultaneously minimize the operating cost, average voltage deviation, and line loadings and improve the voltage stability of an active distribution network. The distribution system is assumed to have a soft open point and smart transformer for smooth active and reactive power control. The demand response flexibility (offered by responsive electrical demands and public and residential electric vehicle charging stations) is coordinated by controlling a smart transformer and a soft open point to realize multiple objectives. The multi-objective problem is solved in the fuzzy domain using a combination of linear programming and particle swarm optimization. Simulation results on a sixty-nine-bus radial distribution system validate the proposed method's effectiveness.