Planning and comparing a pure AC or a hybrid AC/DC distribution network: A case study for an urban zone and an industrial park

In this paper, a stochastic multi-objective optimization model for planning distribution networks has been proposed. After running this model, the optimal configuration will be obtained. The proposed model has two main objectives (1) Minimizing the Net Present Value and (2) Minimizing the Expected Energy Not Supplied. In this model, based on the optimal solution, the network’s buses and feeders can be either AC or DC. Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) has been used in order to model stochastic variations of load demands and distributed generations’ output. For obtaining the best solution, the planning problem will be solved with NSGA, and then a tradeoff between NPV and EENS will be calculated with Pareto Front. The proposed model will be tested on a 14-Bus network, which includes AC and DC load points, and DGs with AC or DC output. The test network will be planned as a pure AC network, and also as a hybrid AC/DC network for (1) an urban zone and (2) a case in which some of the load points are industrial loads and have a very large interruption cost. Finally, at the end of the paper, some results such as NPV, ENS, network’s loss, and a reliability index such as SAIDI will be compared.