Smart load shedding in distribution networks considering the importance of loads

One of the most important tasks of operators in distribution companies is to restoration after a fault in the network. In load restoration schemes, in addition to observing the load flow constraints, it is necessary to maintain the grid structure radially and, most importantly, observing the balance of consumption with the possibility of providing load due to the limitations of the backup feeder (or distributed resource constraints). This paper presents a new approach called smart load shedding in distribution networks, which aims to design a smart load shedding module in situations where it is not possible to provide load after a network failure. In this case, the network load restoration will be provided at the lowest outage cost and in the shortest possible time to maximize customer satisfaction. In order to validate the proposed method, the level of automation of the sample distribution network for smart control of loads is defined in three scenarios. The types of loads available in smart homes are also prioritized and categorized into three categories of adjustable, interruptible, and shiftable loads. The proposed method is coded in the MATLAB software environment. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, simulation is implemented on an RBTS system. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method in reducing costs and improving the restoration management of the distribution system.