Decomposed phase analysis for DER hosting capacity in unbalanced distribution feeders

• Published in: Electric power systems research 2024-10, Vol.235 (C), p.110652, Article 110652
• Main Authors: Mavalizadeh, Hani, Almassalkhi, Mads R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-phase power; Convex optimization; Distributed energy resources; Distribution system; Hosting capacity
• ISSN: 0378-7796; 1873-2046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.epsr.2024.110652

This paper uses convex inner approximations (CIA) of the AC power flow to tackle the optimization problem of quantifying a 3-phase distribution feeder’s capacity to host distributed energy resources (DERs). This is often connoted hosting capacity (HC), but herein we consider separative bounds for each node on positive and negative DER injections, which ensures that injections within these nodal limits satisfy feeder voltage and current limits and across nodes sum up to the feeder HC. The methodology decomposes a 3-phase feeder into separate phases and applies CIA-based techniques to each phase. An analysis is developed to determine the technical condition under which this per-phase approach can still satisfy network constraints. New approaches are then presented that modify the per-phase optimization problems to overcome conservativeness inherent to CIA methods and increase overall HC, including selectively modifying the per-phase impedances and iteratively relaxing per-phase voltage bounds. Discussion is included on trade-offs and feasibility. To validate the methodology, simulation-based analysis is conducted with the IEEE 37-node test feeder and a real 534-node unbalanced radial distribution feeder.