Adaptive Fault-Aware Reconfiguration of Resilient Distribution Networks Under Emergency Conditions

Enhancing resilience in active distribution networks (DNs) is critical to withstand unpredictable, high-impact, low-probability events. This work introduces an adaptive fault-aware network reconfiguration and operational planning methodology to enhance the operational resilience of DNs, capable of managing multiple fault conditions. In the presence of multiple line faults that disrupt network connectivity, the methodology reconfigures the DN into the minimum number of independent, self-sufficient microgrids (MGs), ensuring service continuity with available local resources. Conversely, when fault conditions allow maintaining or restoring full connectivity, the network is reconfigured into networked microgrids (NMGs) that facilitate power sharing and load balancing among interconnected MGs. This adaptability enhances resilience by effectively handling severe and unpredictable scenarios. Moreover, an optimization scheme is developed for optimal energy management across both NMGs and independent MGs configurations throughout the operational horizon. Specifically, the scheme first optimizes the scheduling of each MG’s distributed energy resources to minimize load shedding (LS) locally. Subsequently, when the configuration of NMGs is formed, it coordinates power exchanges among interconnected MGs to further reduce LS across the entire system. The effectiveness of the approach is evaluated and compared to a base case approach on the IEEE 33-bus test system, enhancing the system’s resilience by reducing LS by 42.5%.