Business Prioritization in Electric Distribution Network Using Analytic Hierarchy Process: A Case Study for Iran

One of the most important tasks of distribution network's operators is enhancement of network operation. One of the new procedures for this purpose, is distribution utility privatization and separation of network operation and energy retailing. This procedure leads to a boom in business space with the aim of electric distribution networks operation improvement. The main goal of this paper is exploration and identification of prevalent implemented businesses in distribution networks level all over the world and prioritization of four more compatible of them for implementing in Iran. These four selected businesses include distributed generation installation, power loss reduction, smart grid development, and aggregator business. The six criteria were selected for evaluation and prioritization of businesses for fulfillment in Iran. For reaching the goal, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) developed in super decision software is used. The analytic results show the higher priority of distributed generation installation for implementation in Iran. Also, smart grid development, power loss reduction and aggregator businesses were ranked respectively in the priority list.