Optimal Planning of Active Power Filters in a Distribution System Using Trade-off/Risk Method

In the context of modern distribution systems, power quality is recognized as a crucial concern that requires advanced technical solutions in order to guarantee the correct operation of such complex systems. Among the power-quality disturbances, waveform distortions are one of the most important due to their impact on the equipment, and active filters are considered a useful technical solution to this disturbance even more significantly if they are optimally integrated into the grid. This paper addresses the problem of optimal siting and sizing of active filters in a multiconverter distribution systems by adopting a multiobjective approach. The proposed original formulation includes the control strategies of the active compensators among the decision variables and takes into account the various sources of uncertainties which characterize modern distribution systems. A heuristic simplified approach based on a trade-off/risk analysis is proposed to solve the multiobjective optimization problem under uncertainty with the aim of minimizing several conflicting objectives while meeting proper constraints.