A hybrid approach to improve the resiliency of the power distribution system

Finding a way to provide power to residential customers during power outages is an emerging challenge for electric utilities. This paper addresses this issue and proposes a hybrid approach of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) utilization to increase the resiliency of the distribution system. The combinatorial use of a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) and a Photovoltaic (PV) system enhances customer survivability and consequently the resiliency of the distribution system. The suggested approach decreases the overall cost of the PV system and also increases the reliability of the Backup Power System (BPS). To illustrate the efficiency of the employed approach, two load consumption scenarios are developed in two seasonal conditions. Different load consumption scenarios can provide a useful metric to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed solution and make the results realistic. Results show that the utilized approach can supply a residential customer for a reasonable amount of time when the grid is out of service.