Multi-Objective Configuration and Economic Dispatch of Hybrid Distribution Network Using Energy Router

The AC/DC hybrid distribution network flexibly accommodates various power sources and loads, adapting to the growing penetration of distributed photovoltaic (PV) and electric vehicles (EVs). An Energy Router (ER), a device with multiple electrical energy ports, enables bi-directional AC/DC conversion, active energy flow management, and multi-port interconnection. This paper proposes an ER-based configuration and economic dispatch (ED) criterion for Distribution Transformer Area (DTA) with EVs, distributed PV, and energy storage. It includes an upper-level model for enhancing PV absorption, reducing transformer Peak-to-Valley Differences (PVD), and determining required capacities of Energy Storage System (ESS), rectifiers, and DC transformers, and a lower-level model for minimising annual costs and deciding charging/discharging powers for both ESS and EVs. The model is solved using the Normalised Normal Constraint (NNC) method and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, yielding a uniformly distributed Pareto front to balance the security and cost. Case studies demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits significant advantages in reducing the PVD in transformer loading, enhancing the absorption rate of distributed PV, and decreasing the overall annual integrated cost at a substation level.