Flexible Interconnection Planning Towards Mutual Energy Support in Low-Voltage Distribution Networks

Abstract

The increasing uncertainty of distributed energy resources (DERs) challenges the secure and resilient operation of low-voltage distribution networks (LVDNs). Flexible interconnection via power-electronic devices enables controllable links among LVDAs, supporting capacity expansion, reliability, load balancing, and renewable integration. This paper proposes a two-stage robust optimization framework for flexible interconnection planning in LVDNs. The first stage determines investment decisions on siting and sizing of interconnection lines, while the second stage schedules short-term operations under worst-case wind, solar, and load uncertainties. The bi-level problem is reformulated into a master–subproblem structure and solved using a column-and-constraint generation (CCG) algorithm combined with a distributed iterative method. Case studies on typical scenarios and a modified IEEE 33-bus system show that the proposed approach mitigates overloads and cross-area imbalances, improves voltage stability, and maintains high DER utilization. Although the robust plan incurs slightly higher costs, its advantages in reliability and renewable accommodation confirm its practical value for uncertainty-aware interconnection planning in future LVDNs. Case studies on typical scenarios and a modified IEEE 33-bus system demonstrate that under the highest uncertainty the proposed method reduces the voltage fluctuation index from 0.0093 to 0.0079, lowers the autonomy index from 0.0075 to 0.0019, and eliminates all overload events compared with stochastic planning. Even under the most adverse conditions, DER utilization remains above 84%. Although the robust plan increases daily operating costs by about $70, this moderate premium yields significant gains in reliability and renewable accommodation. In addition, the decomposition-based algorithm converges within only 39 s, confirming the practical efficiency of the proposed framework for uncertainty-aware interconnection planning in future LVDNs.