Electric Power Components and Systems, 43(7):733746, 2015

C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Copyright 
ISSN: 1532-5008 print / 1532-5016 online
DOI: 10.1080/15325008.2014.1002585

A Stochastic Programming to Volt/VAR/Total

Harmonic Distortion Control in Distribution
Networks Including Wind Turbines
Sajad Jashfar,1 Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini-Biyouki,2 and Saeid Esmaeili3,4
1

Electrical Engineering Department, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran

Electrical Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
3
Electrical Engineering Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
4
Energy and Environmental Research Center, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
2

CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Probabilistic Analysis of Load and WT Prediction
3. Harmonic Inclusion
4. Problem Formulation
5. Implementation of the Proposed HJP Method
6. Simulation Results
7. Results and Discussion
8. Conclusion
References

AbstractThis article presents a stochastic methodology for

volt/VAR/total harmonic distortion control to reduce power losses
while satisfying the main recommended power quality standards and
optimizing dispatch schedules for the switchable shunt capacitor and
on-load tap-changer in distribution networks. The main aim is to
find proper dispatch schedules for on-load tap-changer tap positions,
substation capacitors, and along feeder capacitors. For this purpose,
distribution network uncertainties, including load demand and wind
power generation, are considered to provide a robust control scheme.
A new scenario reduction method based on the highest potential cluster center is used to decrease the huge number of probable states. A
new scenario-based probabilistic time-interval division framework,
over a 24-hr period on both load curve and wind power output, is introduced to reduce effects of forecast plan uncertainty and switching
operations in the on-load tap-changer. A genetic algorithm solution
method is applied to find the best solution corresponding to various
scenarios. To improve search ability, a method guaranteeing the suppression of maximum allowable daily substation capacitors switching
and effectively correcting the convergence process is utilized. The
proposed stochastic approach is tested on an IEEE 123-bus distribution network containing a number of non-linear loads and wind
energy generation systems.

1.

Keywords: volt/VAR control, distribution networks, genetic algorithm,

harmonic distortions, renewable energy resources, stochastic programming,
wind turbines
Received 20 October 2013; accepted 16 December 2014
Address correspondence to Mr. Sajad Jashfar, P.O. Box 76315-117,
Electrical Engineering Department, Graduate University of Advanced
Technology, Haft Baghe Alavi Highway, Mahan, Kerman, Iran 7631133131.
E-mail: s.jashfar@student.kgut.ac.ir
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online
at www.tandfonline.com/uemp.

INTRODUCTION

Daily off-line volt/VAR control of a large-scale power network

will provide decision makers more possibilities to schedule
on-line volt/VAR control. Volt/VAR control at the distribution system level have been widely employed to reduce energy
losses and maintain voltage profiles within permissible limits [1]. High penetration of non-linear loads and renewable
energy sources (RESs) in distribution networks leads to more
complexity of optimal operation scheduling of these networks.
Propagation of harmonics through the system causes damage
to devices and, consequently, more losses. Capacitors may have
733

734

Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), No. 7

NOMENCLATURE
Cnt
= state of capacitor n at hour t
Ci,SC j
= on/off states of secondary bus capacitors
Ci,i+1
= capacitance of line segment between
buses i and i + 1,
C (fh )
= ratio of hth harmonic current to its fundamental current
= on time duration of feeder capacitors
d FC j
di,SC j
= on/off states time duration for secondary
bus capacitors
D
= number of optimization parameters
h max
= highest harmonic order of interest
h0
= smallest harmonic order of interest
(h)
= bus injection currents (by non-linear
I
loads) at hth harmonic order
Ii (fh )
= hth harmonic currents of the non-linear
lofad installed at bus i
J
= junction of ith intervals end to start of (i
+ 1)th interval

= index of time interval
= reactance of line segment between buses i
L i,i+1
and i + 1
s
= energy losses of compensated system for
Loss
sth scenario
= aggregated weighted energy losses of
Lossagg
compensated system for all scenarios
LB
= lower bound
= maximum limit of substation capacitor
MKSC
switching
= maximum limit of capacitor switching
MKC
MKT
= maximum allowable number of on-load
tap-changer daily switching operations
n
= number of intervals for entire load period
= total number of buses
Nb
= total number of capacitors
NC
NL
= total number of lines
= number of feeder capacitors
NFC
NSC
= number of substation capacitors
NP
= population size
= number of loads
NL
NWT
= number of wind turbines
= number of reduced scenarios
NS
oi
= ith offspring
Plinear,i
= active linear loads at bus i
t,s
= component of real power loss at hour t for
PLoss
sth scenario
t,s
(fh )
PLoss,L
= component of line real power loss in frequency fh at hour t for sth scenario

t,s
PLoss,
T (fh )
t,s
PLoss,
Lines
t,s
PLoss,
Transformer

PLt,s
PNonlinear,i
t,s
PWT
Q linear,i
Q Nonlinear,i
Ri,i+1
t
ts
tFC
TAPt
T H DV,max
T H DVt i
UB
V (h)
Vref
Vit,s (fh )
Vit,s
Vmax
(h)

ycapacitor,i
Y (h)
(h)

Yjj

(h)

= component of transformer real power loss

in frequency fh at hour t for sth scenario
= total real power losses of lines at hour t for
sth scenario
= total real power losses of transformer at
hour t for sth scenario
= active load at tth hour for sth scenario
= active non-linear loads at bus i
= active power output of wind turbine at
hour t for sth scenario
= reactive linear loads at bus i
= reactive non-linear loads at bus i
= resistance of line segment between buses
i and i + 1
= index of time in a 24-hr period
= start time of th time interval
= start time of switching feeder capacitors
to on state
= on-load tap-changer tap position at hour t
= maximum value of total harmonic distortion
= total harmonic distortion factor at bus i
and hour t
= upper bound
= bus voltage vector at hth harmonic order
= voltage reference value
= component of voltage in frequency f h for
bus i and hour t for sth scenario
= voltage deviation at bus i and hour t for
sth scenario
= maximum allowable voltage deviation
value
= admittance of shunt capacitor banks installed at bus i
= bus admittance matrix representing he
system at hth harmonic order
= Main-diagonal entries,

Yjk

= off-diagonal entries

(h)
yline,shunt
(h)
yline,longitudinal
(h)
ylinear,i

= shunt parameter of lines

Xm



= longitudinal parameter of lines

= admittance of linear load connected at bus
i
= parent population
= point of active power or reactive power at
th time interval
= average of active power or reactive power
at th time interval

Jashfar et al.: A Stochastic Programming to Volt/VAR/Total Harmonic Distortion Control in Distribution Networks Including Wind Turbines

i
t,s

= ith parent
= load demand or wind power generation
probability for tth hour for sth scenario

an important role in the propagation of harmonics in the networks. The on/off capacitor switching does not introduce new
harmonics into the network but may lead to amplify already
present current and voltage harmonics due to possible resonance at one or more harmonic frequencies [24]. Harmonics
put power quality greatly at risk and lead to undesirable solutions at the operational level.
Significant improvement in the efficiency and quality of
power system operation is achieved by coordinated operation
[5]. Daily off-line volt/VAR control is a tool to coordinate the
centralized and local controllers in distribution management
networks [6, 7]. Additionally, volt/VAR control problems have
been investigated in two different categories, including certainty and uncertainty of input variables. In the first category,
different volt/VAR control methods have been proposed to improve network conditions. The daily optimal volt/VAR control
integrating distributed generators (DGs) under steady-state sinusoidal operation condition was investigated in [8, 9]. Viawan and Karlsson [10] suggested a coordination strategy for
volt/VAR control in the presence of a DG and conventional
control equipment, such as an on-load tap-changer (OLTC)
and capacitors. A dynamic programming method under sinusoidal operating system conditions across the real mediumvoltage distribution system was presented in [11]. However,
in large systems, the dynamic programming method is not appropriate due to the computational burden involved with it.
A cost-based methodology for daily volt/VAR control without harmonic consideration in distribution systems, including
DGs, was presented in [1215]. Those authors used evolutionary methods, such as ant colony optimization (ACO) [12],
honey bee mating optimization (HBMO) [13], particle swarm
optimization (PSO) [14], the gravitational search algorithm
(GSA) [15], and the bacterial foraging algorithm (BFA) [15]
to determine the solutions. The authors in [16] proposed a dispatching schedule in a real distribution network regardless of
harmonics. Volt/VAR control with harmonic consideration was
discussed in a few studies [1719]. In these works, the OLTC
tap position planning and shunt capacitor on/off switching
states have been done based on an optimal time-interval division for the forecasted daily load to decrease energy losses and
improve power quality; however, there are some distribution
networks uncertainties, such as load demand (LD) and renew-

735

= start time vector

= transformer voltage ratio
= additional voltage ratio per tap

able energy electricity generation. In this regard, for the second

category, stochastic volt/VAR control with uncertain values for
some random variables regardless of harmonic consideration
were discussed in some works [2022]. A probabilistic analysis based on a 2m-point estimated method has been employed
to solve the daily volt/VAR control problem in distribution
systems with uncertainty in LD and electrical power generation [20, 21]. In [20], a scenario with an aggregation-based
single-objective solution considering environmental and economic aspects of volt/VAR control in the presence of RESs
was presented. A fuzzy optimization approach to obtain the
optimal dispatching schedule under an uncertain environment
was proposed in [22].
This article extends the precise mutual impact of power
quality constraints and a stochastic methodology for volt/VAR
planning that has not been considered in previous research.
Consideration of uncertainty in the power output of a wind
turbine (WT) as well as power demand of load leads to
procurement of probabilistic optimal time-interval division.
Also, the control possibility should be performed in switchable
capacitor banks and the OLTC. The active power outputs are
often specified by characteristics of energy resources [23].
To perform precise calculations, hybrid joint programming
(HJP) to volt/VAR/total harmonic distortion (THD) control is
developed and implemented utilizing the integration of MATLAB (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA) and
DIgSILENT (DIgSILENT GmbH, Gomaringen, Germany)
[19]. In this regard, a new trend in programming procedure
to alleviate the probabilistic computational burden of the
problem is adopted.
This article is organized as follows. The probabilistic analysis of load and WT prediction to model the occurrence of a
specific power is described in Section 2. A harmonic load flow
calculation (HLFC) procedure and formulation is explained
in Section 3. Section 4 presents the problem formulation. Implementation of an HJP method to determine the optimal dispatch schedules for all capacitors and OLTC tap positions is
proposed in Section 5. Simulation results of applying the suggested control scheme to three test cases is demonstrated in
Section 6, while a detailed discussion of the obtained results
are presented in Section 7. Finally, the major contributions and
conclusions are summarized in Section 8.

736

2.
2.1.

Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), No. 7

PROBABILISTIC ANALYSIS OF LOAD AND WT

PREDICTION

each scenario with respect to other scenarios. The potential

value for each data point (Si ) is determined as [28]


Distribution

One of the major problems in real-world electrical power systems is the uncertainty of LD forecast and RES power production variability. In this article, both LD and wind power (WP)
have been considered as random variables with a probability
distribution function (PDF). To simplify the problem, it is assumed that there is no correlation between LD and WP [24].
To model the occurrence of a specific power value, the beta
function can be much more appropriate than other PDFs [25]:
f P Pred (x) = x1 . (1 x)1 .Nf .

(1)

For each hour, the historical data are used to apply probabilistic model for LD and WP. Hence, to predict LD and WP
production at each hour, different shape parameters must be
considered. The beta function shape parameters and can
be derived from the mean and variance of historical data, as
expressed by Eqs. (2) and (3); here, PPred is in per unit form
and its range is from 0 to 1:

,
(2)
P Pred =
+
( )
2 =
.
(3)
( + )2 ( + +1)

(Si ) =

2.2.

(4)

Scenario Generation

Considering continuous probabilistic distribution parameters

generally leads to no specific way of solving the mathematical
problems. The general method is discrete approximation of the
continuous PDF. In other words, there is a finite scenario set for
each of the random variables [26]. Each scenario includes a 24hr period of LD and WP production. Monte Carlo simulation
is used as an effective approach to generate a discrete set of
hourly LD and WP:

t,s 
.
Scenarios : Lt,s , WT
2.3.

Scenario Reduction

Although large number of scenarios increases modeling accuracy, it is time consuming and has a high computational
burden in real-world power systems [27]. To overcome this
difficulty, the number of scenarios should be reduced to an acceptable amount. If the initial scenario involves N-scenario set
{S1 , . . . , SN } in the m-dimensional space (xi =[xi,1 , . . . , xi,m ]),
there are potential cluster centers according to the distance of

SiSj 2
(ri /2)2

i =1, ..., N,

(5)

j =1
j = i
m 2
where ri =
k=1 (xi,k ). The scenarios outside of the nearest
neighbor radius have little impact on the potential value.
Hence, the initial scenario sets are decreased using the scenario reduction technique, which is described in the following
steps.
Step 1: Find the most probable scenario Si with the greatest
potential:
max = max { (Si )} .

(6)

Step 2: Find the finite scenario sets to the nearest neighbor

Si that is located in the radius (ri /2). After scenario reduction,
the occurrence probability of each scenario is calculated via
the following equation [20]:
N
 N 24
N
24
WT
L
R 




L
WT
t,s
t,s
S =
t=1

N
L


The relation between variance and predicted power is obtained as [20, 25]:
= 0.215 P Pred + 0.0285.

N


L=1
L
t,s

L=1

W T =1

N
WT

WT
t,s .
W T =1

s=1 t=1

(7)

In this article, the considered mean values of the hourly LD

and WT production for the statistical analysis have been borrowed from [18, 21], respectively. To consider the uncertainty
in forecast plan, five desired scenarios are achieved for a 24-hr
time period by alternating the network conditions, which are
given in Table 1.

3.

HARMONIC INCLUSION

At higher frequencies, the system is modeled by a harmonic

frequency admittance matrix and harmonic current sources.
The admittance matrix Y (h) is computed by modifying the conventional fundamental admittance according to the harmonic
order. The distribution lines are considered as lumped parameter elements connected in a -model. The shunt and longitudinal parameters of the lines are included in the diagonal
and off-diagonal entries of the harmonic frequency admittance
matrix Y (h) , respectively:
(h)

(h)

yline,longitudinal = yi,i+1 =
(h)

1
,
Ri,i+1 + j 2 fh L i,i+1
(h)

(h)
yline,shunt = yi,i
= yi+1,i+1 = j 2 fh Ci,i+1 .

(8)
(9)

Jashfar et al.: A Stochastic Programming to Volt/VAR/Total Harmonic Distortion Control in Distribution Networks Including Wind Turbines
Scenario 1
Hour
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

Scenario 4

737

Scenario 5

LD

WP

LD

WP

LD

WP

LD

WP

LD

WP

31.95
30.59
32.22
27.95
29.02
42.81
49.2
69.96
88.22
91.55
96.09
94.62
94.14
91.6
81.34
61.14
51.86
45.96
40.37
41.92
39.56
37.38
33.83
33.32

92.58
97.25
89.24
78.66
74.71
73.04
74.04
75.41
78.21
79.54
83.04
78.24
77.97
70.14
53.52
43.52
41.35
35.58
40.08
47.69
54.49
71.35
84.22
88.24

32.39
29.79
32.48
29.21
29.87
40.85
47.36
72.65
89.53
90.41
93.54
93.55
91.14
89.49
79.75
63.21
49.76
46.65
40.39
40.34
39.45
37.96
34.86
33.82

94.46
96.58
88.38
80.43
72.17
71.73
74.37
74.48
78.42
79.12
81.51
77.53
78.83
72.61
54.69
42.88
41.71
38.02
41.34
47.56
55.53
69.14
80.49
87.64

31.63
29.1
33.47
27.94
28.22
40.95
49.67
71.03
83.82
90.42
94.35
90.18
90.39
91.89
81.63
63.73
52.34
47.21
40.35
41.15
38.21
37.26
32.57
32.96

89.56
94.81
89.79
79.89
74.69
73.53
75.63
78.13
80.32
78.17
85.27
80.39
82.62
69.74
51.37
42.47
41.58
36.67
40.98
49.14
54.97
69.96
85.29
89.34

32.68
29.5
32.74
29.54
28.25
40.06
48.98
70.99
86.31
94.43
96.34
94.44
93.59
92.53
81.28
63.61
49.31
46.45
41.23
41.88
39.69
37.83
33.96
34.66

93.54
99.36
90.16
80.43
71.16
73.83
70.87
73.91
79.87
78.86
82.93
79.32
81.63
71.68
51.84
42.28
39.87
35.93
41.33
48.66
53.63
67.09
81.36
84.69

33.65
28.85
32.1
29.75
28.36
40.94
47.71
71.98
87.34
93.76
93.6
89.62
94.49
86.91
81.51
63.09
52.25
45.18
42.21
42.27
40.66
38.4
32.01
32.29

91.23
94.98
90.45
76.53
74.35
71.89
71.36
78.12
80.76
79.93
80.37
80.72
78.15
69.86
51.46
43.11
40.39
37.87
42.52
49.27
53.44
68.53
82.41
86.76

TABLE 1. Achieved scenarios for 24-hr time period LD and WP generation

Shunt capacitor banks are represented as shunt-connected

elements:
(h)
ycapacitor,i

=h

(1)
ycapacitor,i .

(h)

Plinear,i
|V i (f1 )|2

Q linear,i

.
h |V i (f1 )|2

Y (h) V (h) = I (h) .

(14)

(10)

The admittance of the linear load connected at bus i is

defined as [17, 18]
ylinear,i =

which is derived from the node equations, as follows:

(11)

Non-linear loads are modeled as harmonic current sources

that inject harmonic currents into the system. The fundamental
and the hth harmonic currents of the non-linear load installed
at bus i with active power and reactive power are expressed by
[17, 18]


PNonlinear,i + j Q Nonlinear,i
,
(12)
Ii (f1 ) =
V i (f1 )
Ii (fh ) = C (fh ) Ii (f1 ) .
(13)
A conventional NewtonRaphson algorithm is used to solve
the power flow at fundamental frequency, and harmonic voltages are calculated by solving the following load flow equation,

4.

PROBLEM FORMULATION

The control variables include tap positions of the OLTC as

well as substation capacitor (SC) and feeder capacitor (FC)
on/off switching states. The aim is to find the minimum value
of objective function while satisfying the operational and practical constraints. To overcome the stochastic nature of system,
the normalized scenario probability is used in the computation
of objective function. Considering all reduced scenarios, the
mathematical formulation of the optimization problem given
next.
4.1.
4.1.1.

Objective Function
Energy Losses over a 24-hr Period

Total real power losses at all frequency components over a

24-hr period for all possible scenarios has to be minimized.
The active power losses at hour t can be defined as the sum of

738

Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), No. 7

losses in each line and transformer, as follows:

PsLoss, Transformer = PsLoss,T (f1 ) +

hmax


PsLoss,T (fh ),

(15)

THDV,max for all scenarios should be within acceptable operating limits through the optimization process. Therefore,
THDt,s
Vi is limited to a maximum value as follows:

h=h0

PsLoss, Lines
PsLoss

=
=

Nl


PsLoss,L

(f1 )+

hmax
Nl 


THDt,s
V i (%) THDV , max .
PsLoss,L

L=1
L=1 h=h0
PsLoss, Transformer +PsLoss, Lines .

(fh ), (16)
(17)

The objective function of the proposed stochasticbased volt/VAR/THD control problem considers aggregated
weighted energy losses of the system for possible scenarios as
follows:

NS
24




S
t,s
agg
,
Objective: min Loss =

P
Loss

S

i=1
t=1

(24)

The steady-state voltage deviation in Eq. (20) and voltage

THD in Eq. (22) are restricted according to Standard IEEE-519
[29]. Frequent switching operations may reduce switchable
capacitor banks and OLTC lifetime. It is necessary to consider
life expectancies of them. Practical constraints, such as the
maximum allowable number of switching operations in a day
for OLTCs [30], SCs, and FCs (over all scenarios) are defined
in what follows.
4.2.3.

Maximum Switching Operations of OLTC

i=1

(18)
4.2.
4.2.1.

24



TAPt TAPt1  MK T .

Operational and Practical Constraints

(25)

t=1

Voltage Deviation at Each Bus

Corresponding to scenario s, the RMS value of bus i voltage

at hour t is defined by


hmax
 t,s
2 
 t,s

t,s
V i (fh )2 .
(19)
V i,rms =V i (f1 ) +

The maximum permissible operating times of an OLTC in

a day is considered to be 30 [18, 22].
4.2.4.

Maximum Switching Operations of Capacitors

h=h0

To minimize the difference between bus voltages from the

actual operating voltage (|V ti |=1p.u. )and enhance voltage security, voltage deviation can be calculated as



Vit,s = 1V t,s
i =1, ..., Nb , t =1, ..., 24. (20)
i,rms ,
A well-operated distribution system must keep the voltages
at all nodes within the allowed limits:
Vit,s (%) Vmax .

24

 t

C C t1  MK C ,
n

n =1, 2, ..., Nc .

(26)

The maximum permissible switching operating times for

the capacitors installed at the secondary bus in a day is considered to be 6, and those installed through the feeder is assumed
to 2 [19, 22].

(21)
5.

4.2.2.

t=1

THD at Each Bus

Corresponding to scenario s, the voltage THD at bus i at hour

t is expressed by

 t,s
2
t,s 2
V i,rms V i (f1 )
t,s
THDV i =
i = 1, ..., Nb ;
V ref
t = 1, ..., 24. (22)
The amount of RMS voltage improvement not only relies
on fundamental voltage but also on harmonic components,
which play an important role in the improvement [19]:
 t,s
 


V (f1 ) 1 + THDt,s 2 .
=
(23)
V t,s
i,rms
i
Vi

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROPOSED HJP

METHOD

The proposed scheme comprises two outstanding features.

First, the average curve for available scenarios is divided into
several levels. Second, the combination of optimal dispatch
schedule of all control devices, such as OLTCs, SCs, and FCs,
simultaneously besides considering stochastic framework is
performed using a genetic algorithm (GA). A feasible solution
for volt/VAR/THD control includes OLTC and capacitor 24-hr
settings at each hour where the operational and practical constraints are within the acceptable limits. The control variables
for each interval include 17 OLTC tap position states ([8, . . .,
1, 0, 1, . . ., 8]) and 2 capacitor states (0 = off; 1 = on) for
each capacitor at each hour [19].

Jashfar et al.: A Stochastic Programming to Volt/VAR/Total Harmonic Distortion Control in Distribution Networks Including Wind Turbines

5.1.

739

Probabilistic-based Time-interval Method

The optimal probabilistic time intervals can be determined to

satisfy the maximum switching operations of the OLTC and
reduce the effect of uncertainty and slight variations in the forecast plan. The OLTC tap position during all hours at each interval remains constant [17, 18]. The presented method has been
promoted for both electrical LD and alternative energy generation, simultaneously. To perform the proposed probabilisticbased time-interval method while considering uncertainties in
LD and RES forecasting, an average curve for both generation
and consumption for available scenarios must be procured. The
curve is obtained using the reduced scenarios from Table 1 and
t
for each of 24 hr using Eq. (27):
the calculation of Pnorm,
Ptnorm, =

NS
!
1 
t,s
t,s
P .
NS s=1

(27)

In the next step, because of the interaction between generation and consumption curves in the time-interval method,
the obtained average curves are simultaneously divided into
intervals. Regarding to the considered number of intervals, every chromosome contains the start time of each time interval.
The solution structure of the time-interval division problem,
which represents the start time of each interval, is formed as
= [ts1 , ts2 ,..., tsn ](1n) . A flowchart diagram of the proposed
time-interval method is shown in Figure 1. The value of any
generations suggests the start time of each time interval (tsl ).
The number of time intervals is chosen 4, and a GA is employed to determine the start time of each time interval [19].
The start time of each interval can be obtained from minimizing the fitness function F(). This formula consists of two
sub-equations, as follows:
#
"
l {1, 2, ..., n} = ts1 ts2 ...tsn (1n)
: 1
tsl1 < tsl ,
 tst l 24 &
"
#
t
l
 Pnorm,L , Pnorm,WT  =  1  2 ... n (124) :

1 "   


#
 =  ts1  ts1 +1 , ,  ts2 1 (1(t t ))

s2
s1

"   


#


=

t

t
+1
,

,

t
1
s2
s2
s3

1
t
t
(
(
))
s3
s2

.
..
,

n $  

 =  tsn , ,  (24) %




!!
 (1) , ,  ts1 1

1 tsn ts(n1)

(28)

F () = min

n &
&2

& l
&
&  l & .
l=1

(29)

FIGURE 1. Flowchart diagram of the proposed time-interval

method.

5.2.

HJP Applied to Volt/VAR/THD Control

The optimization problem is solved using two separate

modules. The flowchart in Figure 2 demonstrates the calculation process of the optimization problem. The GA is implemented in MATLAB, while DIgSILENT programming language (DPL) is utilized to perform the objective functions
calculations. The proposed procedure for daily volt/VAR/THD
control is iterated utilizing the combinatorial method until convergence is achieved [19]. The modules are described next.
5.3.

MATLAB Module

The output of the MATLAB module is utilized as the initial values for the DIgSILENT module. Figure 3 illustrates
the solution structure for the volt/VAR/THD problem for the
existing control variables. As expressed by Eq. (30), each
chromosome of population(Np )generated in a random manner by MATLAB is composed of two parts. The first part
is related to SC on/off switching modes with dimension
(NSC (2 MK SC 1))as well as the FC on/off switching
modes with dimension (2N FC ), while the second part is related to OLTC tap position modes with dimension (n);
X{NP D} = [SC{NP (NSC (2MK SC 1))} FC{NP (2N FC )}
OLTC{NP (n)} ].

(30)

740

Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), No. 7

FIGURE 2. Flowchart of the proposed algorithm for optimal scheduling.

FIGURE 3. Solution structure for volt/VAR/THD problem for the existing control variables.

Jashfar et al.: A Stochastic Programming to Volt/VAR/Total Harmonic Distortion Control in Distribution Networks Including Wind Turbines

741

Therefore, if the constraint of maximum OLTC switching

operations is satisfied, MATLAB writes on the chromosome
available in a text file [19].
5.4.

DIgSILENT Module

The outputs of this module are used in a cyclic procedure

as the initial values for the previously described MATLAB
module. DIgSILENT reads the chromosome data as input
and applies them to perform hourly on/off capacitor switching and OLTC tap position. The dispatch of shunt capacitors to perform hourly on/off capacitor switching is presented
in next subsection. Afterwards, HLFC is run based on assigned hourly optimal scheduling, and the objective function
values are calculated. Again, DIgSILENT exports the objective function values through a text file into MATLAB as input
data [19].
5.5.

Dispatch of Shunt Capacitors

Considering the maximum allowable number of capacitor daily

switchings, these capacitors should be programmed in a way
that the constraints in switching capacitors become implicit.
Such a programming procedure would lead to appropriate convergence despite the complexity and computational burden. In
this article, a method that guarantees the suppression of maximum allowable daily FCs and SCs switching and effectively
corrects the convergence process is utilized. Figure 4 illustrates the programming of capacitors installed at a substation.
The red line shows the change in the state of switching. The
unchanged switching blue line is followed by a reduction of the
switching states. At each interval, the values 0 or 1 represent
the on/off state of the capacitor. The maximum time interval
is achieved by dividing 24 hr to MKSC , and its minimum is
0. Therefore, it is obvious that if each di is 0 or a value in
two consecutive intervals, the number of capacitors switching
will decrease. This idea would satisfy maximum allowable capacitors switching as well as on/off periods of capacitors (see
Figure 4(a)). For example, Figure 4(b) presents the sample data
of a chromosome representing the scheduling of a substations
capacitor that is fed into the DIgSILENT module. Considering
these data for Figure 4(a) implies that the capacitor would stay
on from hour 1 for three hours. Since d 2 is assigned by 0, the
on/off state is not determined in this interval, and there would
only be one switching reduction. In hour 4, the capacitor is
switched off for two hours. In hour 6, on state is scheduled
for two consecutive periods of three and four hours. This state
also represents a switching reduction. In the remaining hours,
the off state is scheduled for the capacitor (see Figure 4(c))
[19].

FIGURE 4. Programming of capacitors installed in the substation [24].

5.6.
5.6.1.

Optimization Process of the GA

Initial Population

Considering the bounds on the decision variables, a new random chromosome (power system variables) consists of an operating point of the capacitor on/off switching modes and the
OLTC tap position modes scheduling (see Figure 3). The related part of the capacitor on/off switching modes in each
generated solution is spontaneously restricted by operational
constraints. In this article, the population size (NP ) is 15 times
the number of optimization parameters (D).
5.6.2.

Evaluation of Population

With the initial random values of control variables, energy

losses at each hour, voltage deviation, and voltage THD at each
bus is calculated by HLFC. Total energy losses are calculated
by combining the energy losses of all 24 hr. Maximum voltage
deviation and maximum voltage THD of the entire 24-hr power
system operation are also calculated.

Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), No. 7

742

5.6.3.

Crossover and Mutation

New solutions (power system variables) of size N P are generated by crossover and mutation applied to X 0 . The mathematic
description of crossover is
o1 = 1 + rand (2 1 ) ,
o2 = 2 + rand (2 1 ) ,
The mathematic description of mutation is o = +
rand (U B L B), where rand is a random number in the
range of 0 to 1, while and are scalar parameters.
5.6.4.

Save Best Solution

The best solution is retained that complies with the lowest total
energy losses during a 24-hr period.
5.6.5.

Stopping Criteria

Stopping criteria is decided based on experience, and in this

volt/VAR/THD problem, the value of iteration number is chosen as 300.
6.

SIMULATION RESULTS

The proposed stochastic methodology for daily volt/VAR/THD

control is applied to a 4.16-kV, IEEE 123-bus distribution test
system [31]. The IEEE 123-bus test system considered in this
article contains non-linear loads besides a WT (see Figure 5).

FIGURE 5. IEEE 123-bus distribution network.

FIGURE 6. (a) Transformer with tap setting ratio ; transformer presented by -model with: (b) principal tap ratio and
(c) a new voltage ratio.

Jashfar et al.: A Stochastic Programming to Volt/VAR/Total Harmonic Distortion Control in Distribution Networks Including Wind Turbines

Figure 6(a) demonstrates a transformer connected between

buses 119 and 120 with admittance (y) and principal tap ratio
( ). The tap-changer is installed at the high-voltage or lowcurrent side of the transformer winding. The OLTC is used to
maintain the secondary bus voltage profile close to the nominal
value under all load conditions. Impedance of the transformer
is 0.01 + j0.08 p.u. Base values of transformer are considered to be 5 MVA and 4.16/115 kV [31]. This transformer
is described by -model with indirect representation of the
transformer tap ratio in series and parallel admittances, as depicted in Figure 6(b). Figure 6(c) demonstrates the transition of
transformer tap from to +  . Transformer voltage ratio
depends on the tap position and additional voltage ratio per tap
( = 1 + TAP  p.u.). It must be taken into consideration
that the transformer tap position should be an integer. In this
article, the OLTC can regulate voltage deviation (TAP  )
from 5% to +5%, considering  = 0.625 %. The data of
shunt capacitors installed in the distribution system are given
in [17]. Two 200-kW WTs are installed at buses 89 and 108.
The system includes five types of non-linear loads with the

743

harmonic spectrum given in [17]. The harmonic spectrum for

WTs is taken from [32]. In the presence of harmonics, three
different cases are considered to investigate the effectiveness
of the proposed method.
Case 1: System initial condition with no control scheme.
Case 2: Control scheme without harmonic consideration.
Case 3: Control scheme considering harmonic.
The computation is carried out on an Intel core i7
3.40-GHz CPU 8-GB-RAM PC (Intel, Santa Clara, California, USA). Optimal dispatch scheduling results of the
IEEE 123-bus system under non-sinusoidal operating condition by the proposed control method are demonstrated in
Table 2. The dissimilar schedule of shunt capacitors and OLTC
tap positions generated by the proposed method are also presented in Table 2 for different cases. Also, the results of the
probabilistic-based time-interval approach can be seen at the
OLTC tap position dispatch schedules in Table 2. Corresponding to the five achieved scenarios, THD reduction and voltage

Optimal dispatch schedule of OLTC

and shunt capacitors for case 2

Optimal dispatch schedule of OLTC

and shunt capacitors for case 3

C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
Hour OLTC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hour OLTC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0

0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0

0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2

0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0

1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0

TABLE 2. Non-sinusoidal IEEE 123-bus radial network operating condition

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0

0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), No. 7

744

FIGURE 8. Voltage improvement of bus 66.

FIGURE 7. Voltage THD of all buses under non-sinusoidal

operating condition.

improvements of the most distorted buses are plotted in Figures

7(a), 7(b), 7(c), 8(a), and 8(b), respectively.

7.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The proposed stochastic methodology is applied to the IEEE

123-bus distribution test-system. The impact of energy saving
for the compensated network is summarized in column 8 of
Table 3. As can be observed, the energy saving without harmonic consideration (Case 2) is less than with consideration

Case

Computation
time (sec)

451.24

3082.42

of this restriction (Case 3). Also, hourly voltage improvements

indicate that average voltage deviations decrease from 9.756%
to about less than 0.921% for different cases. Considering inevitable propagation of harmonics in distribution networks,
the harmonic distortion levels should be kept within the permitted limits. Non-linear load level increase results in THD
value increment in the network. However, after compensation, the compensating capacitors play more important roles.
Corresponding to different scenarios, outputs of HLFC before
optimization show the maximum voltage THD for this system
as given in Figure 7 for Case 1. Results show that a maximum

Scenarios

Minimum system
voltage (p.u.)

Maximum system
voltage (p.u.)

Average system
voltage (p.u.)

Energy losses
(MWh)

Energy saving
(%)

1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5

0.8759
0.8701
0.8739
0.8698
0.8793
0.9708
0.9624
0.9620
0.9607
0.9666
0.9534
0.9556
0.9548
0.9716
0.9542

1
1
1
1
1
1.0329
1.0349
1.0428
1.0293
1.0371
1.0338
1.0299
1.0413
1.0319
1.0376

0.8997
0.9089
0.9024
0.8943
0.9015
0.9878
0.9893
0.9971
0.9859
0.9980
0.9901
0.9926
0.9869
0.9891
0.9912

4.5607
4.5574
4.5621
4.5576
4.5591
4.1793
4.1475
4.1538
4.1520
4.1787
4.1968
4.2061
4.2012
4.1975
4.2013

8.3628
8.9942
8.9398
8.8994
8.4338
7.9790
7.7083
7.9108
7.9011
7.8480

TABLE 3. Summary results of proposed control method in IEEE 123-bus test system

Jashfar et al.: A Stochastic Programming to Volt/VAR/Total Harmonic Distortion Control in Distribution Networks Including Wind Turbines

voltage THD of 14.6397% is limited to 3.4843% for Case 3.

After applying the proposed control scheme, the distortion levels are effectively suppressed below the permitted level of 5%.
The reduction in the maximum THD level in Case 3 in comparison with Cases 1 and 2 justifies the inclusion of harmonics
in the optimal planning. Scheduling without taking harmonics into account causes a severe harmonic distortion problem,
i.e., 17.2731% in Case 2, which is higher than standard limit.
These facts are also demonstrated in Figure 7(a) to 7(c). The
voltage profile of bus 66, which is the bus with lowest voltage in the network, is shown through 24 hr in Figure 8. The
inclusion of harmonics in the proposed dispatch algorithm
results in different schedules for the OLTC and switch capacitors under non-sinusoidal conditions (see Table 2). The
OLTC tap positions and capacitor on/off switching status vary
at substations and along feeders through 24 hr. Total OLTC
and capacitor switching operation numbers per day satisfy the
constraints. In Case 2, network losses are reduced in comparison with Case 3. This is a sacrifice for harmonic reduction in
Case 3.

8.

CONCLUSION

This article proposes a new trend of programming to mitigate

the computation burden of stochastic-based volt/VAR/THD
control action. The proposed scheme comprises two outstanding features. First, the average of different LD and WT power
output day-ahead generation scenarios, which are divided into
several levels, is obtained. Second, the combination of optimal dispatch schedule of all control devices, such as OLTCs,
SCs, and FCs, considering harmonics for all corresponding
scenarios is performed. This control scheme leads to energy
loss reductions and voltage profile improvements. The control
system applies regulation of its action while considering constraints related to maximum voltage and THD violation. The
application of the conventional optimal dispatch scheduling
for non-sinusoidal operating conditions is not acceptable, as
it leads to high THD voltage distortions. A proper coordination between OLTCs, SCs, and FCs has also been treated. It is
concluded from the study results that the proposed stochastic
programming method is very efficient and robust in obtaining
the solution of the volt/VAR/THD control problem.

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