Research on Virtual Microgrid Partition Method for Promoting Active Distribution Network Optimization Operation and Maintenance

With the massive access of distributed energy, and the advancement of new technologies such as energy storage, electric vehicles, and flexible loads, the operational control of active distribution networks is becoming more and more difficult. Aiming at this problem, based on the concept of virtual microgrid, a micro-grid partition optimization method for active distribution network is proposed, which simplifies the operation control of the active distribution network in the form of virtual micro-network partition. The method establishes the virtual partition virtual optimization model of the active distribution network with aims of the lowest communication cost, the minimal partition power imbalance and the highest partition power supply independence. Based on the breadth-first search algorithm, each partition‘s information is obtained. The virtual micro-grid partitioning method of the active distribution network is proposed, and the active distribution network is divided into multiple virtual micro-network partitions. The IEEE-33 bus system is improved as an example for verification. The research results show that the proposed method can provide virtual micro-network partitioning suggestions for active distribution networks, and provide support for efficient operation and maintenance of active distribution networks.