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... 

Installation of renewable energy sources (RESs) in power systems has been dramatically increased due to clean nature and declining investment costs in recent years. This growing trend has led to new issues in the system operational management such as intense ramps inflicted on the network called system flexibility constraints. In this regard, due to decreasing the investment in bulk flexible resources, utilities would be significantly rely on local flexible ramp resources in the system to meet the supply-demand gap in each time-period. However, development of independently operated microgrids (MGs) as a result of restructuring and privatization in the power systems has imposed limitations... 

In this paper the reliability of distribution network is modeled in joint multistage expansion planning of distribution network assets and distributed generations (DGs). The imposed costs due to network reliability weakness are considerable in the distribution level. Therefore in the proposed model distribution network operator (DNO) considers the costs associated with load interruptions in the planning problem. In this regard, reliability evaluation of the network is modeled in the joint multistage distribution network expansion planning (MDNEP) problem in an integrated manner while the network topology is unknown until the planning problem is not solved. In the proposed joint MDNEP problem...