Increasing the RES hosting capacity in distribution systems through reconfiguration with closed-loop operation and voltage control

Abstract

This paper presents a novel mixed-integer second-order cone programming model to increase the photovoltaic (PV) hosting capacity and optimize the operation of distribution systems. The operational problem considers voltage control through the optimal operation of capacitors banks, substations' on-load tap changers, voltage regulators, and network reconfiguration with radial and closed-loop operation. The proposed formulation considers voltage-dependent models for loads and capacitor banks. The objective function maximizes the PV hosting capacity of the system. Numerical experiments are carried out using the 33-node system and results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed formulation to increase the penetration of PV sources, especially when the closed-loop operation is allowed, together with network reconfiguration.