Optimal secondary distribution system design considering plug-in electric vehicles

•The problem of secondary distribution system considering plug-in electric vehicles is addressed.•Meta-heuristic optimization is used to solve the optimization problem after formulating the objective function and the constraints.•The results have shown the effectiveness of the proposed method compared to traditional design method in terms of savings and the effect on the transformer's lifetime.

In this paper, the problem of secondary distribution system (SDS) design considering plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) charging demand is addressed using meta-heuristic optimization to minimize the overall secondary system costs. The objective function and the necessary constraints are mathematically formulated and presented. The effectiveness of the proposed SDS design approach is evaluated in terms of the overall SDS costs and transformer loss of life (LOL). The proposed design approach represents an effective tool for electric utilities to accommodate PEVs during the planning stage of SDS and also when retrofitting existing SDS.