LV Measurement Device Placement for Load Flow Analysis in MV Smart Grids

This paper deals with the issue of measurement device placement for load flow analysis in medium-voltage (MV) distribution networks. The study is carried out using an innovative measurement algorithm for load flow analysis developed by the authors. It is based on low-voltage (LV) load power measurements applied on a backward/forward algorithm for the load flow resolution. The final aim is to identify the most suitable number and placement of the LV measurement points in order to limit the uncertainty on the power flow estimation to a target value. The proposed approach is based on the uncertainty evaluation of the estimated power flows; a sensitivity analysis is performed in order to assess the uncertainty contribution of each LV power measurement to the estimated power flow upstream of each MV feeder of the distribution network. The LV measurement device placement is presented and discussed in a real case study, i.e., the distribution network of the Ustica Island.