Integrating the strategic response of parking lots in active distribution networks: An equilibrium approach

Abstract

The increasing penetration of electric vehicles will be accompanied for a wide deployment of charging infrastructures. Large charging demand brings formidable challenges to existing power networks, driving them near to their operational limits. In this regard, it becomes pivotal developing novel energy management strategies for active distribution networks that take into account the strategic behaviour of parking lots. This paper focuses on this issue, developing a novel energy management tool for distribution networks encompassing distributed generators and parking lots. The new proposal casts as a tri-level game equilibrium framework where the profit maximization of lots is implicitly considered, thus ensuring that network-level decisions do not detract the profit of parking owners. The original tri-level model is reduced into a tractable single-level mixed-integer-linear programming by combining equivalent primal-dual and first-order optimality conditions of the distribution network and parking operational models. This way, the model can be solved using off-the-shelf solvers, with superiority against other approaches like metaheuristics. The developed model is validated in well-known 33-, and 85-bus radial distribution systems. Results show that, even under unfavourable conditions with limited distributed generation, charging demand is maximized, thus preserving the interests of parking owners. Moreover, the model is further validated through a number of simulations, showing its effectiveness. Finally, it is demonstrated that the developed tool scales well with the size of the system, easing its implementation in real-life applications.