Applying a Reduced Order Network Simplification Method: A South African Example

With the increased penetration of variable renewable energy sources globally, academic literature increasingly highlights the value of using probabilistic methodologies in power system planning although these methods can be prohibitively slow when applied to large power systems. Stochastic-probabilistic hosting capacity analysis using numerical load flow is especially slow. One way to reduce the simulation time is to use network simplification techniques which reduce the system size while retaining solution accuracy. This article considered the literature on network simplification and applied a Ward equivalent circuit to a deterministic South African transmission network model. It was found that time reductions of up to 67 % were achieved after simplifying the network model, with, at most, a 7 % accuracy reduction. This time reduction is significant enough to warrant further investigation into the use of network simplification for transmission system hosting capacity in South Africa.