Coordination of smart-household activities for the efficient operation of intelligent distribution systems

Because of the development of enabling technologies such as appropriate metering infrastructures and communication possibilities, the smart-grid vision has started to be implemented. Smart appliances and Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEV) at the residential end-user premises constitute a typical example. Nevertheless, a distribution system (DS) that has been designed and operated by a distribution system operator (DSO) for decades considering only inflexible consumers has to be equipped with appropriate operating strategies and technological upgrades in order to adapt to the new conditions. This study examines the case in which PEV have penetrated in the DS without any supportive operational strategy. Next, a coordination strategy employed from the DSO for EV charging together with the scheduling of smart-appliances is proposed. In both cases, the selection of the daily optimal radial configuration of the DS is considered in order to facilitate the operational goals of the DSO. The optimality criterion is the minimization of the active power losses and both cases are compared by means of operational performance.