Steady-state load shedding schemes: a performance comparison

This paper presents a formulation of the optimal steady-state load shedding problem that uses the sum of the squares of the difference between the connected active and reactive load and the supplied active and reactive power. The latter are treated as dependent variables modelled as functions of bus voltages only. The equality constraints associated with the power system load curtailment problem are the power flow equations in polar form utilizing the nodal admittance matrix approach. The inequality constraints are characterized by limits on line flows, voltage magnitudes and angles, and active and reactive power generations. The MINOS nonlinear optimization package is used to implement the optimization process. Testing is done using IEEE 14- and 30-bus power systems, and results obtained. The optimal results are compared with results obtained using two earlier approaches. The results obtained using the proposed approach appear to give a better optimal state of the power system.