Increasing Distribution Grid Hosting Capacity through Optimal Network Reconfiguration

The increasing trend of distributed generation deployment in distribution grids requires constant upgrades in the existing infrastructure to increase grid hosting capacity. In principle, it should be possible to increase the grid hosting capacity by reconfiguring the network via changing the status of tie and sectionalizing switches already installed in the distribution grid. The reconfiguration is desirable as it takes advantage of existing network architecture without the need for additional upgrades and investments in the network. This paper presents a method for maximizing distribution grid hosting capacity through such reconfiguration. Unlike classical iterative and time-consuming methods, the proposed method is based on a linearized power flow model which is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem with appropriate radiality constraints. The result is a near-instantaneous and robust computation of optimal reconfiguration for maximizing grid hosting capacity. The proposed method is tested and validated on the IEEE 33-bus distribution test system.