Total Supply Capability Evaluation of Distribution Systems considering Soft Open Points and Network Reconfiguration

The increasing power demands in cities pose great challenges in power supply capacities of distribution networks. This paper introduces an emerged power electronic device, soft open point (SOP), and network reconfiguration to enhance the maximum total supply capability (TSC) of distribution networks. Unlike previous studies usually leverage simplified models, we propose an accurate mixed-integer second-order cone model to evaluate and optimize the TSC of a distribution networks, in which power flows and SOPs are precisely described. Simulation results confirm that employing SOPs can significantly enhance network TSC through active power transmission and reactive power compensation. Moreover, it can also reduce the power loss among the whole systems so that the energy-efficiency can be improved.