Characterizing the Reserve Provision Capability Area of Active Distribution Networks: A Linear Robust Optimization Method

Distributed energy resources (DERs) installed in active distribution networks (ADNs) can be exploited to provide both active and reactive power reserves to the upper-layer grid (i.e., sub-transmission and transmission systems) at their connection point. This paper introduces a method to determine the capability area of an ADN for the provision of both active and reactive power reserves while considering the forecast errors of loads and stochastic generation, as well as the operational constraints of the grid and DERs. The method leverages a linearized load flow model and introduces a set of linear scenario-based robust optimization problems to estimate the reserve provision capability (RPC) area of the ADN. It is proved that, under certain assumptions, the RPC area is convex. The performance of the proposed method is tested on a modified version of the IEEE 33-bus distribution test system.