Electric power distribution planning considering power quality costs

This paper proposes a new Hybrid Monte Carlo - State Enumeration Method to determine Short Duration Voltage Variation (SDVV) and interruption indices expected in each network bus. Voltage sags and swells are characterized by their magnitude and duration. The latter parameter is determined according to the fault natural extinction time and the setting up of protection devices. The algorithm determines the expected number of voltage sags and swells as well as the process or equipment disruptions according to the tolerance curve in each customer bus. By considering unitary disruption costs, one can assess technical and economical aspects related to SDVVs in expansion planning models. The new proposed formulation includes interruption and disruption costs for each planning stage. The best solution is the one that meet operational constraints with minimum total costs, including investment, power losses, reliability and SDVV disruptions.