Stochastic evaluation of distribution network hosting capacity: Evaluation of the benefits introduced by smart grid technology

• Published in: 2017 AEIT International Annual Conference pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Rossi, Marco, Vigano, Giacomo, Moneta, Diana, Clerici, Daniele
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: AEIT 01.09.2017
• Subjects: Distributed power generation; Energy resources; Generators; Hosting Capacity; Monte Carlo methods; Power system management; Power system planning; Probability distribution; Resource management; Smart grids; Voltage control
• DOI: 10.23919/AEIT.2017.8240490

The increasing share of renewables is creating new challenges for distribution grids and operators have to adopt more and more advanced tools for the evaluation of network investments, especially for scenarios in which distributed generation is expected to drastically grow. In particular, the maximum connectable power (Hosting Capacity) as well as the benefits that Smart Grid technology can bring to the distribution system have to be analyzed in detail and in multiple scenarios. The paper proposes a probabilistic approach for the calculation of the Hosting Capacity based on the random allocation of generation resources, which models the uncertainty related to their position within the network in the next future. Thanks to this approach, control solutions can be exhaustively evaluated and their performance can be compared in several possible scenarios of distributed generation expansion.