A bidirectional loss allocation method for active distributed network based on Virtual Contribution Theory

•A novel VCT-based bidirectional LA allocation method is proposed, along with a detailed analysis of its principles and implementation.•The VCT-based virtual contribution matrix is 40 times more efficient with computational complexity decreasing from O(n4) to O(n2+n).•The VCT-based bidirectional LA method with 1.49% average relative error significantly enhances the accuracy and adaptability of power loss quantitative allocation.