Coordinated control of generation and demand for improved management of security constraints

Constraint management is one of the critical tasks for ensuring secure operation of power supply systems and is generally formulated and solved as an optimal power flow (OPF) problem with generation scheduling and voltage set point controls. In case of severe contingencies, conventional OPF methods may fail to converge, i.e. find solution satisfying all constraints. In such cases, network operators/planners should identify critical constraints, indicating network buses and lines that require reinforcing, or where further controls should be implemented (e.g. demand side management or load shedding). Repeated constraint relaxation in conventional OPF methods might not be a viable approach to identify critical constraints. This paper presents an alternative method, based on a meta-heuristic algorithm and injection sensitivity factors, to, first, identify critical constraints, and, second, manage constraints through a coordinated generation and demand control actions. Practical aspects of the presented approach are illustrated using IEEE 30-bus network as an example.