Feedback-control-based optimal power flow for real-time operation

This paper presents a feedback control approach for the optimal power flow (OPF) problem which is suitable for operation in real-time. Traditionally, OPF is run in discrete instants of time in order to obtain the optimal operating points for the power system under given loading conditions at those instants. Between any two OPF runs, participation factors and/or other means are used to maintain generation-load balance. Hence, optimality is not maintained between OPF runs. This paper proposes the use of feedback control concepts to maintain optimality all the times while satisfying power system constraints. The feedback-control-based optimal power flow (FCOPF) is a reformulation of the well known gradient-based OPF in such a way that enables the use of feedback control concepts. Simulation results show that the proposed approach can keep track of the optimal operating point under varying loading conditions while meeting power system constraints.