A Procedure for the Optimal Management of Medium-voltage AC Networks with Distributed Generation and Storage Devices

A medium-voltage AC network with distributed generation and storage devices is considered for which set points are assigned in each time period of a given time horizon. A set point in a time period is defined by modules and phases of voltages in all nodes, active and reactive powers, on load tap changer and variable loads. When some parameters vary, in order to restore feasibility new set points need to be determined so as to minimize the variations with respect to the initial ones. This can be done by minimizing distributor's redispatching costs, which are modeled by means of binary variables, while satisfying service security requirements and ensuring service quality, which are represented by nonlinear constraints, such as the nodal balance of active and reactive power and the current transits on lines and transformers for security. Storage devices are modeled by means of constraints that relate adjacent time periods. A two-step solution procedure is proposed, which is based on decoupling active and reactive variables: in the first step a MILP model determines the active power production and the use of storage devices that minimize redispatching costs over all time periods in the time horizon; in the second step, given the optimal active power production computed in the first step, reactive variables in each time period are computed by solving a nonlinear programming model. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.