Is the Power Flow Study Necessary?

The power flow study is the main tool used by the power system planner and operator to help predict the power system operation under a variety of conditions. Therefore, the question: ´Is the power flow study necessary?´ seems to be ill-conceived, since the answer is obviously yes. Research is reported with the objective of developing methodology for providing the power system operator or planner with a set of feasible operating or planning strategies which guarantee a specified level of reliability when taking account of all the significant uncertainties. Emphasis was on identifying the feasible sets in terms of the binding constraints dictated by the model.