Sharif Digital Repository

This study proposes an imperialist competition algorithm (ICA) to maximise the benefits of distribution network operators (DNOs) because of the existence of distributed generation (DG) units. The sum of active loss reduction and network investment deferral incentives has been considered as the objective function to be maximised in this study. The optimal location and size of DG units in the network are found considering various techno-economical issues. The application of the proposed methodology in the UK under current Ofgem financial incentives for DNOs is investigated. The ability of the proposed approach in finding the optimal solution is validated by comparing the obtained results with... 

A method for the reduction of interactions in linear time invariant (LTI) multivariable uncertain systems is proposed. An H∞-norm metric is proposed for the assessment of interactions in interval uncertain multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) plants. Based on this, a procedure for the design of fixed-order dynamic decoupling precompensators for MIMO plants with interval uncertainty is outlined which can be solved using efficient solvers such as CVX. The proposed methodology is used to develop a low-order robust multivariable controller for voltage and frequency control of an islanded distributed generation (DG) unit. Copyright © 2017 by ASME  

Optimal placement of switches can play a key role in providing resilience to power distribution systems against major faults caused by natural disasters. This study presents a resilience-based framework for optimal switch placement in distribution systems being consistent with the expansion plans of distributed generation units. At first, the impact of hurricanes on distribution system components is modelled using the geographic information system of distribution grid and the strength of components against extreme weather-related events. Then, a new resiliency index is proposed to assess the resilience of distribution grids. This index is involved in a mathematical model of the switch... 

Employing more flexibility in power systems is one of the main challenges brought about by integrating more renewable energy sources in power systems. A promising way to overcome this challenge is to have local sources of flexibility in distribution level. In this respect, a novel approach is introduced in this paper for multi-stage distribution system expansion planning which jointly considers expansion of the network assets as well as flexibility enhancement. To this end, construction and reinforcement of feeders and substations are considered as various alternatives for network expansion. Moreover, installation of conventional dispatchable distributed generation units is selected as the... 

This paper presents an effective control strategy for autonomous operation of a multi-bus medium voltage (MV) microgrid (MG) consisting of several dispatchable distributed generation (DG) units. Each electronically-coupled DG unit supplies the loads which can be unbalanced due to the inclusion of single-phase loads. The proportional resonance (PR) and droop controllers are, respectively, used to regulate the load voltage and share the average powers among the DG units. The virtual negative-sequence impedance controller (VNSIC) is proposed to effectively compensate the negative-sequence currents of the unbalanced loads. Moreover, the VNSIC minimizes the negative-sequence currents in the MV... 

This paper presents a stochastic framework for short-term operation of a distribution company (disco). The proposed framework optimizes disco's operational decisions in two hierarchical stages. The first stage, called day-ahead operation stage (DAOS), deals with the operational decisions on purchases from the day-ahead market and commitment of distributed generation (DG) units. The objective of this stage is to minimize the expected operating cost while the financial risk exposed by uncertain real-time prices and loads is restricted to a given level. The model associated with this stage is based on the mixed-integer programming (MIP) format. The second stage, named real-time operation stage... 

This paper presents an effective voltage control strategy for the autonomous operation of a medium voltage (MV) microgrid under nonlinear and unbalanced load conditions. The main objectives of this strategy are to effectively compensate the harmonic and negative-sequence currents of nonlinear and unbalanced loads using distributed generation (DG) units. The proposed control strategy consists of a multi-proportional resonant controller (MPRC) whose parameters are assigned with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The optimization function is defined to minimize the tracking error at the specific harmonics considering the stability limitations. In this paper the performance of the... 

Pre-compensators are used in multivariable control systems to reduce (or eliminate) open loop system interactions. Classical methods for the design of pre-compensator are traditionally based on static designs. Static pre-compensators are preferred for their simplicity, but are highly unsystematic in the amounts of achievable diagonal dominance. In many applications, only the more powerful dynamic pre-compensators are able to deliver the desired amounts of decoupling. This paper proposes a new method for the design of dynamic pre-compensators which is based on a Quadratic Programming (QP) optimization. Using the proposed approach the total pre-compensator is found through several smaller... 

In this paper a new framework for scheduling of available resources in the distribution networks is developed. In this respect attempts are focused on interactions between charging/discharging profiles of electric vehicles (EVs) and output power of distributed generation units. To reach this goal, the proposed framework is designed as a two-stage optimization procedure. In the first stage, the charging/discharging schedules of EVs are extracted running a linear programing optimization problem taking into account the EV users' constraints and requirements. The usage profiles of the DG units, strategy of buying electricity from the market and also the final charging/discharging patterns of the... 

One of the beneficial impacts of Distributed generation (DG) units on electrical network is power loss reduction in the distribution feeder on which DG is located. In this paper the effect of DG on power losses of a distribution feeder with a combination of uniformly distributed and lumped loads is investigated, and a mathematical model of power loss reduction as a function of DG and the feeder parameters is extracted. Then, based on the derived formula, optimum conditions of utilizing and locating the DG units are obtained. © 2006 IEEE  

This paper presents a decentralized self-adjusting reactive power controller for the autonomous operation of a multi-bus medium voltage (MV) microgrid. The main objective of the proposed control strategy of each distributed generation (DG) unit is to compensate the reactive power of its local loads and to share the reactive power of the nonlocal loads among itself and other DG units. The proposed control strategy includes an improved droop controller whose parameters are adjusted according to the reactive power of the local loads. A virtual inductive impedance loop is augmented to the voltage controller to enhance the steady state and transient responses of the proposed reactive power... 

This paper presents a new robust control strategy for an islanded microgrid in the presence of load unmodeled dynamics. The microgrid consists of parallel connection of several electronically interfaced distributed generation units and a local load. The load is parametrically uncertain and topologically unknown and, thus, is the source of unmodeled dynamics. The objective is to design a robust controller to regulate the load voltage in the presence of unmodeled dynamics. To achieve the objective, the problem is first characterized by a two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) feedback-feedforward controller. The 2DOF control design problem is then transformed to a nonconvex optimization problem.... 

This paper presents a robust control scheme for an islanded microgrid in the presence of structured uncertainties. The microgrid consists of parallel connection of two Distributed Generation (DG) units and a passive load. The DG units are connected to the passive load by using the power electronics converters. The microgrid model is structurally uncertain due to the large perturbations in the load parameters. To deal with the uncertainties, a Linear Fractional Representation (LFR) of the parametrically uncertain system is obtained. To achieve robust performance, the μ-synthesis approach is applied to the derived LFR model to design a μ controller. The resultant controller is structurally... 

In deregulated power systems, the distribution network operator (DNO) is not responsible for investment in distributed generation (DG) units, and they are just concerned about the best architecture ensuring a good service quality to their customers. The investment and operating decisions related to DG units are then taken by entities other than DNO which are exposed to uncertainty. The DNO should be able to evaluate the technical effects of these uncertain decisions. This paper proposes a fuzzy evaluation tool for analyzing the effect of investment and operation of DG units on active losses and the ability of distribution network in load supply at presence of uncertainties. The considered... 

This paper presents a control strategy for the autonomous (islanded) operation of a distributed generation (DG) unit. The DG unit supplies a balanced load through a voitage-sourced converter (VSC). To maintain the autonomous operation in the islanded mode, the DG unit should provide its dedicated load with a sinusoidal voltage with a constant magnitude and a constant frequency. The dynamic model of the islanded DG system is represented by a set of nonlinear equations. Since the objective is to regulate voltage and frequency of the islanded DG about their rated values, the nonlinear model is linearized about the operating point. The obtained linearized model represents a multivariable LTI... 

This paper proposes a hybrid heuristic optimization method based on genetic algorithm and immune systems to maximize the benefits of Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) accrued due to sizing and placement of Distributed Generation (DG) units in distribution networks. The effects of DG units in reducing the reinforcement costs and active power losses of distribution network have been investigated. In the presented method, the integration of DG units in distribution network is done considering both technical and economical aspects. The strength of the proposed method is evaluated by applying it on a small and a realistic large scale distribution network and the results are compared with... 

Distributed generation (DG) units are often interfaced to the main grid using power electronic converters including voltage-source converters (VSCs). A VSC offers dc/ac power conversion, high controllability, and fast dynamic response. Because of nonlinearities, uncertainties, and system parameters’ changes involved in the nature of a grid-connected renewable DG system, conventional linear control methods cannot completely and efficiently address all control objectives. In this paper, a nonlinear adaptive control scheme based on adaptive backstepping strategy is presented to control the operation of a grid-connected renewable DG unit. As compared to the popular vector control technique, the... 

A decentralized servomechanism controller for islanded (autonomous) operation of radial connection of two distributed generation (DG) units is proposed in this paper. Each DG unit utilizes a voltage-sourced converter (VSC) for interface to its dedicated load. The DG units and the loads are to operate in the islanded mode of operation. Each DG unit regulates the voltage of its dedicated load in a decentralized manner. In this paper, it is first shown that the radial connection of two DG units in the islanded mode constitutes an interconnected composite system consisting of two subsystems. Moreover, the paper shows that the overall islanded system can be controlled by the local controllers,... 

Distributed generation (DG) units are increasingly installed in the power systems. Distribution companies (DisCo) can opt to purchase the electricity from DG in an energy purchase contract to supply the customer demand and reduce energy loss. This paper proposes a framework for optimal contract pricing of independent dispatchable DG units considering competition among them. While DG units tend to increase their profit from the energy purchase contract, DisCo minimizes the demand supply cost. Multi-leader follower game theory concept is used to analyze the situation in which competing DG units offer the energy price to DisCo and DisCo determines the DG generation. A bi-level approach is used...