Impacts of topology control on the ACOPF

Conventionally, transmission assets are treated as static assets for short-run operations. Topology control exploits the flexibility of the grid topology to allow for improvement in dispatch efficiency. While previous work on optimal transmission switching examines this concept in a DC setting, this paper examines transmission switching for the ACOPF and its impact on parameters like voltage magnitude and losses. A comparative analysis between optimal transmission switching in a DC setting and switching in an AC setting is also presented. Results indicate significant economic savings of up to 9% achieved by topology control.