Comprehensive review on the decision-making frameworks referring to the distribution network operation problem in the presence of distributed energy resources and microgrids

Abstract

The distribution network operation problem (DNOP) is an optimization problem in which the objective function is the total operation cost of the distribution company (Disco), to be minimized considering the technical constraints of the network. In the presence of distributed energy resources (DERs) and microgrids (MGs), new decision makers, including MG and DER operators or managing entities, are emerging and are changing the decision-making framework for distribution systems. To describe the cooperation and competition between the Disco, MG and DER operators, different frameworks and models have been proposed in the literature. Moreover, different computational techniques and metaheuristic algorithms have been used to solve the optimal operation problems. Hence, this paper considers DNOP as one of the timely problems under study and of major interest for future research, presenting a comprehensive review on the decision-making frameworks referring to DNOP in the presence of DERs and MGs, as a new contribution to earlier studies. The focus is set on the comparison among different frameworks characterized by increasingly higher level of participation of the DER managers to the distribution system operation, offering a complementary view with respect to available reviews on similar topics based on technical aspects of the DER connection and integration in MGs and distribution networks, which is noteworthy.