Special issue on “Optimization in electric power distribution systems”

Excerpt

The development of models and solution techniques for planning the operation and expansion of power distribution systems (PDS) is of great importance for power utilities. The minimization of the overall costs can be a considerable challenge given the size of these systems. For instance, thousands of feasible design options can arise from a feeder design definition in a system with a single substation and finding the overall least-cost plan or topology for a PDS can be a very difficult task. Furthermore, in the recent years PDS from the substations to the customers are facing significant changes, due to the growing number of distributed and variable energy generation resources and the smart grid implementation. The abilities to dynamically optimize the operation, integrate diverse distributed generation types, and integrate demand response and energy-efficiency resources are needed in this modern power system era. Engineer’s understanding of the system and its costs, performance, and tradeoffs can be facilitated with optimization concepts. …