The electricity distribution system is fundamentally changing due to the
widespread adoption of variable renewable energy resources (VREs),
network-enabled digital physical devices, and active consumer engagement. VREs
are uncertain and intermittent in nature and pose various technical challenges
to power systems control and operations thus limiting their penetration.
Engaging the demand-side with control structures that leverage the benefits of
integral social and retail market engagement from individual electricity
consumers through active community-level coordination serves as a control lever
that could support the greater adoption of VREs. This paper presents a
Distributed Economic Model Predictive control (DEMPC) algorithm for the
electric power distribution system using the augmented lagrangian alternating
direction inexact newton (ALADIN) algorithm. Specifically, this DEMPC solves
the Alternating Current Optimal Power Flow (ACOPF) problem over a receding
time-horizon. In addition, it employs a social welfare maximization of the
ACOPF to capture consumer preferences through explicit use of time-varying
utility functions. The DEMPC formulation of the ACOPF applied in this work is
novel as it addresses the inherent dynamic characteristics of the grid and
scales with the explosion of actively controlled devices on the demand-side.
The paper demonstrates the simulation methodology on a 13-node Lebanon NH
distribution feeder.