Equity‐aware power distribution system restoration

Abstract

The efficient, reliable, and resilient supply of electricity has become essential for social and economic well‐being of the modern society. However, more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events has exposed inequity in the planning and operation practices of power distribution systems, evidenced in higher vulnerability and longer power interruptions for some parts of the grid as compared to others. This paper proposes an equity‐aware power distribution system restoration model in an effort to ensure a more equitable yet resilient power distribution operation after outages. To this end, the proposed equity‐aware distribution system restoration model balances the efficiency of the restoration operation and the equitable allocation of distributed energy resources among affected customers after an outage, while prioritizing the critical infrastructure (e.g. hospitals). The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework to ensure a more equitable restoration process as measured by the proposed fairness and restoration performance indices.

Generation and Transmission Expansion Planning: Nexus of Resilience, Sustainability, and Equity

“…For instance, Liu et al considered equity by maximizing the fairness and efficiency of how electricity is rationed in a resiliency decision-making model [25]. Others have proposed equity-based models specific to distribution grid planning [26,27]. Montoya-Rincon et al studied how infrastructure interdependencies can affect socially vulnerable populations during extreme weather events.…”