Development and characterization of a virtual tool for load flow analysis in microgrids

Distribution system operators (DSOs) of micro-grids, as those of small islands, need simple and versatile tools for power system monitoring and management purposes, in order to carry out analysis, verify the safety management of the power grid and to redesign it in case it doesn't satisfy the grid constraints. These tools have to be based on proper communication and measurement infrastructures, which should be feasible for DSOs, in terms of low cost, flexibility and expandability features, in order to allow their development starting from the existing instrumentation and equipment typically employed in such networks. In this framework, this paper presents a virtual instrument for load flow analysis in energy distribution systems of micro-grids. The solution is based on a low cost measurement architecture, which has been implemented on-field, on the real distribution network of the Island of Favignana (Italy, Mediterranean Sea). To fully investigate the suitability of the proposed solution, the developed tool has been characterized by means of an uncertainty analysis, considering both real measurement data and network parameters uncertainty propagation on the power flow estimations. Furthermore, in [1] off-line simulations based on real measurement data have been carried out to study the impact of distributed generation. Thus, the validated tool is useful not only for on-line analysis of power flows, but also for planning purposes, as it allows investigating the influence of distributed generator power injection in different scenarios, starting from real measurement data.