Reliability Analysis of Distribution Systems with Hybrid Renewable Energy and Demand Side Management

Reliability is, and will always be, a crucial mater in designing efficient smart distribution systems. Although renewable based DGs can largely improve the figure of reliability, they may also harm it due to their fluctuating nature. One of the key characteristics of smart distribution systems that could resolve this issue is the demand side management (DSM). DSM refers to any activity done by the utility or the customer to influence load behavior. There are many effective aspects of the DSM that, when addressed efficiently, could benefit both utilities and consumers. In this paper, a reliability assessment of a smart distribution local load system will be studied, including the DSM and the integration of wind and solar energies. The impact of the wind and solar energies on the reliability of the local load will be addressed and compared to base-case reliability. Actual wind speed data and solar irradiation are used in modeling wind and solar power outputs to include seasonal variations. Then, the DSM concept will be implemented to assess the increase in load reliability. Two main DSM aspects are studied and simulated which are load shifting and peak clipping aspects. The Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) will be utilized to evaluate the reliability for residential, commercial, and industrial loads.