Analysis of different methods for the application of simultaneity factors for low-voltage network planning

This contribution presents three methods for the application of simultaneity factors and compares the resulting limit violations and line expansion costs. In Method 1, one simultaneity factor for each feeder is calculated, Method 2 determines simultaneity factors for each individual line, and Method 3 identifies a specific number of loads operating at full nominal power, based on the simultaneity factors assigned to each feeder. When analysing the results for radial networks, different clusters are identified based on line length and density of house connection points. In contrast, for meshed networks, a distinction is made based on the number of secondary substations present in each network. The results demonstrate that for radial network Methods 2 and 3 consistently result in higher limit violations and increased line expansion costs compared to Method 1. Furthermore, the discrepancies in limit violations and line expansion costs between Method 1 and Methods 2 and 3 increase with both the line length and the density of house connection points in the respective feeders. In meshed networks, the limit violations and line expansion costs associated with Method 3 are consistently higher than those resulting by the application of Method 1.