Planning Non-wire Alternatives in Distribution Systems Considering the Flexibility of Water Desalination Plants

This paper presents a planning model for a distribution system to meet a growing electrical demand that includes a water desalination plants (WDP). The objective is to find the optimal sizes and locations for non-wire alternatives (NWAs) to supply the expected demands while optimizing the long-term profits for the distribution system operator (DSO). The NWAs include photovoltaics (PV), wind turbines (WT), thermal generators (TG), and energy storage systems (ESS). Moreover, the proposed model considers the coordination with the water desalination plant operator (WDPO) in the operational aspect to provide energy flexibility to the DSO. The proposed model is tested on a 38-bus radial distribution network, where the results indicate that coordination increases the overall profits to the DSO by 5.2% while reducing the overall energy costs to the WDPO by up to 30%. Furthermore, modifying the incentives for WDPO may alter the overall profits to the DSO and the overall costs to the WDPO. Hence, these incentives should be carefully selected, considering the benefits for both parties.