Integrating Solar Resources and Topology Estimation Modules in Industrial ADMS Environment

In contrast with traditional utility monitoring and operational tools, advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) provide modern operational features to monitor, secure and operate the distribution system in an integrated manner. Large-scale adoption of ADMS at utilities is in the early stages since advanced applications within ADMS environments are still evolving. The topology estimation module is one of the important and challenging ADMS applications with enhanced automation. This article integrates the optimization-based topology estimation module with the load/photovoltaics (PV) estimation module. Validation of the feeder connectivity information is the major challenge faced during the integration process. The statistical analysis of the error of the load/PV estimation module shows that the error does not follow the Gaussian distribution. To accurately capture the uncertainty in the error of the load/PV estimation module, the error is modeled with the Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The study using the actual utility feeder data and the ADMS platform shows that in an integrated operation of the load/PV estimation module and topology estimation module, the accuracy of the topology estimation module is improved when the estimation error of the load/PV estimation module is modeled with GMM. The methodology outlined in this article serves as the proof-of-concept and framework for integration and validation of advanced applications such as load/PV estimation and topology estimation modules in the ADMS environment.