Toward optimal voltage/VAR control with smart PVs in active distribution networks

Rapidly increasing penetration of distributed PVs brings great challenges to distribution networks. Driven by the revised IEEE 1547 standard, inverter-based smart PVs provide customized control and voltage regulation capabilities. This paper presents a comprehensive study investigating voltage/VAR control considering network reconfiguration, VAR optimization, and smart PVs. To do so, a second-order cone programming-based VAR optimization and network reconfiguration (VONR) model is formulated. The enhanced necessary radiality condition, and the extensions for multiple smart PV operation modes and multi-period operation are provided. A comprehensive case study considering various network and smart PV operation modes, and hourly VONR operation is conducted. The results show that implementing VONR with smart PV reactive power dispatching optimizes the scheduling plans, resulting in a reduction of network loss by 59.97 % and 30.37 % for the 33-bus and 123-bus test systems, respectively, compared to the no-control operation.