An Agent based Method for Voltage Rise Mitigation in Distribution grids with high DG Penetration

Following the widespread penetration of DG in distribution grids, electric power systems have been led up to a point where the operating conditions are becoming more and more stressed, namely regarding voltage profiles. In addition, reliability and security has become a primary concern for power system operation as it impacts strongly on the quality of supply. Therefore, development of control functionalities for DG units concerning voltage control has been a topic for investigation in recent years. In general, DG is not subject to a centralized dispatch, and reactive power generation is usually restricted by operation rules defined by the DSO. However, a significant growth of DG penetration requires a new operation philosophy to exploit reactive power generation capability of DG with the objective of optimizing grid operation by minimizing active power losses and maintaining voltage profiles. This implies that DG should be capable of adjusting their reactive power generation, i.e. be able to supply ancillary services of voltage and reactive power control. This paper presents an agent based approach demonstrating how beneficial the coordinated control of DG in combination with loads and storage can be for distribution system operation.