Electrical Power Distribution System Reconfiguration: Case Study of a Real-life Grid in Croatia *

This paper describes application of a nonlinear model predictive control algorithm to the problem of dynamic reconfiguration of an electrical power distribution system with distributed generation and storage. Power distribution systems usually operate in a radial topology despite being physically built as interconnected meshed networks. The meshed structure of the network allows one to modify the network topology by changing status of the line switches (open/closed). The goal of the control algorithm is to find the optimal radial network topology and the optimal power references for the controllable generators and energy storage units that will minimize cumulative active power losses while satisfying all system constraints. Validation of the developed algorithm is conducted on a case study of a real-life distribution grid in Croatia. The realistic simulations show that large loss reductions are feasible (more than 13%), i.e. that the developed control algorithm can contribute to significant savings for the grid operator.