A Multi-objective Optimization Planning Framework for Active Distribution System Via Reinforcement Learning

The effective planning of active distribution networks is crucial for utility companies to make informed decisions regarding investments in distributed generation, reliability assessment, reactive power planning, substation revisions, and feeder repositioning. However, the dynamic nature of the solution space makes it challenging for model-based optimization methods to ensure computational performance in active distribution network planning. To address this issue, this study proposes a planning method that focuses on improving computational performance through the continuous updating of the planning model’s solution space during the reinforcement learning training process. Based on simulations conducted on the IEEE 33-bus test system, the proposed planning strategy successfully enhances computational performance while minimizing investment costs compared to other strategies. With the proposed method, the investment cost and the operation cost are reduced by 32.42% and 23.91%, respectively.