Topology control algorithms in power systems

Abstract

This research focuses on improving the efficiency of power market operations by providing system operators additional tools for managing the costs of supplying and delivering electricity. A transmission topology control (TC) framework for production cost reduction based on a shift factor (SF) representation of branch and breaker flows is proposed. The framework models topology changes endogenously while maintaining linearity in the overall Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation. This work develops the DC lossless, and loss-adjusted TC formulations that can be used in a Day Ahead or intra-day market framework as well as an AC-based model that can be used in operational settings. Practical implementation choices for the Shift Factor formulation are discussed as well as the locational marginal prices (LMPs) under the TC MIP setting and their relation to LMPs without TC. Compared to the standard B-theta alternative used so far in TC research, the shift factor framework has significant computational complexity advantages, particularly when a tractably small switchable set is optimized under a representative set of contingency constraints. These claims are supported and elaborated by numerical results.