Optimal Power Flow with State Estimation In the Loop for Distribution Networks

Abstract: We propose a framework for integrating optimal power flow (OPF) with state estimation (SE) in the loop for distribution networks. Our approach combines a primal-dual gradient-based OPF solver with a SE feedback loop based on a limited set of sensors for system monitoring, instead of assuming exact knowledge of all states. The estimation algorithm reduces uncertainty on unmeasured grid states based on a few appropriate online state measurements and noisy "pseudo-measurements". We analyze the convergence of the proposed algorithm and quantify the statistical estimation errors based on a weighted least squares (WLS) estimator. The numerical results on a 4521-node network demonstrate that this approach can scale to extremely large networks and provide robustness to both large pseudo measurement variability and inherent sensor measurement noise.