Data-driven participation of active distribution networks in transmission voltage control

The increasing deployment of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) creates new opportunities within the framework of interactions between the Transmission (TSO) and Distribution (DSO) System Operators. Since DERs have advanced control capabilities, their infrastructure can be utilized to offer voltage support to the Transmission Network (TN). In this paper, a novel data-driven method that enables the participation of Active Distribution Networks (ADNs) with a high penetration of DERs in TN voltage support is proposed. Unlike previous works that rely on model-based information exchange, the proposed approach leverages data to derive an estimation of a sensitivity matrix which is integrated into the TN voltage control scheme optimizing the reactive power exchange with ADNs. To effectively consider the DERs’ availability and facilitate online implementation, the capability of each ADN is integrated and regularly updated in the optimization. The proposed approach offers flexibility in the control design, as it can be implemented as either a centralized or a decentralized control scheme. A comprehensive numerical study on the IEEE 39-Bus test system validates the effectiveness of the proposed method in coordinating the response of multiple ADNs in the presence of strict TN voltage or ADN availability constraints.