Buildings-to-distribution-network integration considering power transformer loading capability and distribution network reconfiguration

A novel buildings-to-distribution-network integration framework is developed in this paper. The joint objective of the proposed framework is to schedule flexible resources, so that the overall performance is optimized regarding the safe operation of transformers, the thermal comfort of building occupants, and the energy savings of distribution network. To fulfill the joint objective, buildings are coupled to the distribution network via transformers and power balance constraints firstly. Then, the integrated energy system is optimized considering the operation constraints of distribution lines, various devices, and flexible resources. Afterwards, the safe operation of transformers is analyzed, and the maximum allowable load ratios of transformers are adjusted according to the analysis. After that, the reconfigu-ration of distribution network is utilized to optimize the scheduling control of flexible resources for the coordination of the safe operation of transformers and the thermal comfort of building occupants. Simulation results on three case studies demonstrate that the scheduling problems of flexible resources, introduced by the contradiction between the safe operation of transformers and the thermal comfort of building occupants, can be fully dealt with the reconfiguration of distribution network. Simulation re-sults also show that the gap in the joint objective values between the developed framework and its baseline counterpart are all within 0.5%, further verifying the effectiveness of the developed framework.Crown Copyright (c) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a novel framework for integrating buildings and distribution networks that optimizes the safe operation of transformers, the thermal comfort of building occupants, and the energy savings of the distribution network. By coupling buildings to the distribution network, optimizing the integrated energy system, analyzing and adjusting transformer load ratios, and utilizing distribution network reconfiguration, the scheduling problems of flexible resources introduced by the contradiction between transformer safety and building comfort can be fully addressed.