Congestion management in active distribution networks through demand response implementation

Despite the positive contributions of controllable electric loads such as electric vehicles (EV) and heat pumps (HP) in providing demand-side flexibility, uncoordinated operation of these loads may lead to congestions at distribution networks. This paper aims to propose a market-based mechanism to alleviate distribution network congestions through a centralized coordinated home energy management system (HEMS). In this model, the distribution system operator (DSO) implements dynamic tariffs (DT) and daily power-based network tariffs (DPT) to manage congestions induced by EVs and HPs. In this framework, the HP and EV loads are directly controlled by the retail electricity provider (REP). As DT and DPT price signals target the aggregated nodal demand, the individual uncoordinated HEMS models operating under these price signals are unable to effectively alleviate congestion. A large number of flexible residential customers with EV and HP loads are modeled in this paper, and the REP schedules the consumption based on the comfort preferences of the customers through HEMS. The effectiveness of the market-based concept in managing the congestion is demonstrated by using the IEEE 33-bus distribution system with 706 residential customers. The case study results show that considering both pricing systems can considerably mitigate the overloading occurrences in distribution lines, while applying DTs without considering DPTs may lead to severe overloading occurrences at some periods. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.