Integrated voltage control and maintenance insurance planning for distribution networks considering uncertainties

Distributed generation (DG) is a promising solution to climate change problems related to rapidly increasing electric power consumption. However, the increasing penetration of DG units poses challenges in enhancing the distribution network reliability owing to their intermittent nature. This paper proposes an integrated voltage control and maintenance insurance planning model for power system reliability under uncertainties in demand loads and active power output of DG units. Voltage control is executed to solve the power quality issue by optimally coordinating the reactive power outputs of the DG units and the active power outputs of storage batteries (SBs). A maintenance insurance scheme is applied to ensure the operating conditions of DG units and SBs in a continuous manner without unexpected interruptions. The reliability indices represented by the voltage deviation cost and expected interruption cost are employed in the proposed planning model to minimize the total power system cost. The decisions include the number and location of DG units and SBs, the reactive and active power of DG units and SBs, respectively, as well as the preventive maintenance cycle and insurance coverage level. A robust fuzzy programming model based on type-2 fuzzy numbers is proposed to obtain the optimal solution in the planning horizon. The application of the proposed model is examined using an empirical case study. The results indicated that the voltage control and maintenance insurance can aid in enhancing the distribution network reliability by reducing the related cost by approximately 26.09%.