Identifying Topology of Low Voltage Distribution Networks Based on Smart Meter Data

In a power distribution network, the network topology information is essential for an efficient operation. This network connectivity information is often not available at the low voltage (LV) level due to uninformed changes that happen from time to time. In this paper, we propose a novel data-driven approach to identify the underlying network topology for LV distribution networks including the load phase connectivity from time series of energy measurements. The proposed method involves the application of principal component analysis and its graph-theoretic interpretation to infer the steady state network topology from smart meter energy measurements. The method is demonstrated through simulation on randomly generated networks and also on IEEE recognized Roy Billinton distribution test system.