An MILP Model for Urban Distribution Network Planning Considering Street Layout and Block Loads

Conventionally, the urban distribution network planning task is conducted manually with the aid of planning software. It is difficult and time-consuming to artificially determine the candidate line set for a new urban area from scratch. Moreover, in most existing planning models, customers within a block are regarded as a single load point, which is inaccurate and may lose plasticity for the planned network. In this paper, we propose the candidate line set generating strategy via exploiting the street layout. For each block, an optimization solution is presented to determine the location and number of local distribution transformers which are influenced by the block shape and its load demand. Finally, we develop a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model for urban distribution network planning which can be solved analytically. Based on the spatial load forecast, the proposed model can simultaneously generate the optimal locations and capacities of substations and feeders for the distribution network. Numerical tests based on the geographical information system (GIS) of a planned industrial park at a city in China, show that the proposed model is effective and practical.