Coordinated Day-Ahead Reactive Power Dispatch in Distribution Network Based on Real Power Forecast Errors

Reactive power outputs of DGs are used along with capacitor banks to regulate distribution network voltage. However, reactive power capability of a DG is limited by the inverter ratings and real power outputs of the DG. In order to achieve optimal power flow, minimize power losses, and minimize switching of capacitor banks, a day-ahead coordinated dispatch method of reactive power is proposed. Forecast errors of DG real power in every period are used to estimate the probability distribution of DGs reactive power capacity. Considering different output characteristics and constraints of reactive power sources, a dynamic preliminary-coarse-fine adjustment method is designed to optimize DG and shunt compensator outputs, decrease the switching cost, and reduce loss. The preliminary optimization obtains initial values, and multiple iterations between the coarse and fine optimizations are used to achieve a coordinated result. Simulations studies are performed to verify the proposed method.