Multicriteria Distribution Network Reconfiguration Considering Subtransmission Analysis

Topological reconfiguration is an important tool for the planning and operation of electric power distribution systems. The amount of time that an algorithm spends on obtaining an alternative topological status for the system is not a primary concern, since the main goals of distribution operation planning are the reduction of power losses, the enhancement of the voltage profile, and the increase of reliability levels. The utility can use multiple criteria regarding the observation of regulation policies and public awareness to drive the topological reconfiguration. Several researchers are looking for new optimization methods, as the complexity of this combinatorial issue is high in large systems and the classic optimization methods are failing to address the problem reasonably. Therefore, we propose a new fuzzy multicriteria decision making algorithm and software to distribution network reconfiguration also including the power losses analysis of subtransmission systems. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated with case studies involving actual systems.