The Influence of Load Growth Scenarios on Distribution Network Operation

This paper presents the consequences of load growth on distribution networks (DN) by considering three future scenarios. The three scenarios (all loads increase, loads increase by geographical location, and only certain load class increases) have been simulated and studied by running power flow (PF) in DIgSILENT PowerFactory and monitoring the result after each step size of load increment (10%). Furthermore, assessing an existing distribution network’s capability considered three aspects (bus voltages, line loadings, and line active power losses) in addition to load flow convergence. The findings from these case studies provide valuable insights into the potential challenges and areas for improvement in the tested distribution network as load demand increases in the future.