A Flexibility-Oriented Model for Distribution System Expansion Planning Studies

Employing more flexibility in power systems is one of the main challenges brought about by integrating more renewable energy sources in power systems. A promising way to overcome this challenge is to have local sources of flexibility in distribution level. In this respect, a novel approach is introduced in this paper for multi-stage distribution system expansion planning which jointly considers expansion of the network assets as well as flexibility enhancement. To this end, construction and reinforcement of feeders and substations are considered as various alternatives for network expansion. Moreover, installation of conventional dispatchable distributed generation units is selected as the available solution for improving the network flexibility in distribution level. Finally, efficiency of the proposed model is validated through implementing it on an 18-bus distribution network.