Distributed Multi-Area Optimal Power Flow via Rotated Coordinate Descent Critical Region Exploration

Abstract: We consider the problem of distributed optimal power flow (OPF) for multi-area electric power systems. A novel distributed algorithm is proposed, referred to as the rotated coordinate descent critical region exploration (RCDCRE). It allows each entity to independently update its boundary information and optimally solve its local OPF in an asynchronous fashion. RCDCRE method stitches coordinate descent and parametric programming using coordinate system rotation to reduce coordination, keep privacy and ensure convergence. The solution process does not require warm starts and can iterate from infeasible initial points using penalty-based formulations. The effectiveness of RCDCRE is verified based on IEEE 2-area 44-bus and 4-area 472-bus systems.