Impact of Demand Side Management on the reliability performance of power distribution systems

Demand Side Management (DSM), one of the most important aspects of the future smart distribution networks, allows consumers to positively participate in controlling energy usage and achieving generation-load balance with minimal cost. In this paper, three reliability evaluation scenarios of a distribution system using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) will be discussed. In the first case, only the peak load of each customer is considered in the reliability calculation. The second scenario will consider the actual load demand profiles at each load point and link it with the number of disconnected customers and failure rates; this one is more realistic than the first scenario. The last scenario of the study investigates the impact of applying an effective DSM, which will reduce the actual load demand at peaks, so the load demand profiles will be modified accordingly. A small portion of a modified UK 14-bus system that consists of four main feeders will be adopted in our study to highlight the potential benefits of DSM to all parties (network operator, consumers and load-serving entities).