Impact of Reliability Considerations on Network Topology Optimization

Optimal transmission switching (OTS) along with optimal bus-bar switching, also known as network topology optimization (NTO), has been previously proposed and utilized as a powerful tool to reduce operational costs. However, operational constraints and reliability considerations of NTO problem have not been addressed properly. In this paper, operational constraints are integrated in NTO problem and the effect of transmission network switching on expected interruption cost (EIC) is investigated. Moreover, a novel approach based on pool of solutions approach is presented, which can generate various switching scenarios. In doing so, the decision maker would be able to analyze and choose the best scenario in terms of operational costs and EIC from a set of generated solutions. The proposed model is implemented on the IEEE llS-bus test system and the results demonstrate that a trade-off should be made between operational costs and EIC when deciding the best switching actions.