Integration of bottom-up statistical models of loads on a residential feeder with the GridLAB-D distribution system simulator, and applications

Management of power flow at the distribution level will undergo major changes in coming years as a result of increasing penetration of distributed generation, storage and enhanced capability to control loads. Better management is especially important for the purpose of improving resilience of power delivery, for example in the case where part of the distribution system islands during a blackout to provide service to critical loads. To model such situations, an accurate description of power flow must be coupled to an accurate description how customers use electricity services. Here, a co-simulation involving a bottom-up residential load synthesis framework and the GridLAB-D distribution system simulator is described. An example based on a real distribution feeder, combining residential loads, a set of critical loads, including a hospital, a supermarket and a water treatment plant, as well as a large battery and a distribution-level solar array, is used to demonstrate the combined capabilities of the customer load and distribution models. The example shows how demand-response behavior can be modeled with the co-simulation. An enhanced capacity to integrate human behavior models with power flow simulators will become essential for designing distribution management systems, as grid modernization leads to more customer-owned devices that can be used to match generation and load.