A Combined Planning and Simulation Approach for Smart Grid Reliability Analysis

Abstract

Today, considering the raise of electricity companies seeking for a more reliable, economical and sustainable electricity grid, the transition to the Smart Grid model seems inevitable. The associated deployment challenges and costs drive the research community and electricity companies to search for methods to assess the performance of these innovative solutions. Simulation tools represent feasible candidates to assess this problem. However, Smart Grid multidisciplinary nature demands a more complex approach to integrate both electricity grid and communication networks characteristics in a co-simulation environment. In this paper, we propose a new approach for combined planning of distribution automation solutions and telecommunications networks. The proposed methodology seeks a solution that optimizes communication project and the reliability of the grid