Reliability assessment in smart distribution networks

The development of the future energy system will be based on planning and management of the distribution system in accordance with the Smart Grid philosophy. This approach involves the extensive use of information and communication technology and innovative control systems in order to enable the realization of smart distribution systems, the active participation of demand, the availability of energy storage, as well as the integration of distributed generation and renewable energy sources and the expected growing number of electric vehicles in distribution networks. The important question that still remains unanswered is how much reliable should be the functioning of the whole future power, information, and communication infrastructures. The increasing complexity of the future distribution system implies to go beyond the classical deterministic contingency analysis with the application of a more correct stochastic approach. Being aware of this, the authors developed a new tool for the reliability assessment of the future distribution network based on a Pseudo-Sequential Monte Carlo simulation. The reliability models of the main power system components, of the renewable generation, and of the communication infrastructure have been considered in the methodology, permitting the simulation of the whole smart distribution system and the estimation of the effects on its reliability performance of the wireless communication system outages.