Phasor-Based Adaptive Control of a Test-Feeder Distribution Network: Application of Retrospective Cost Adaptive Control to the IEEE 13-Node Test Feeder

Control in the power distribution system is needed to match the generation of electricity (that is, supply) with the demand for power (that is, load) at all times while maintaining a high level of power quality [1] (see Summary). The complexity of controlling the electric distribution system increases when distributed intermittent energy sources, such as solar photovoltaics (PVs), displace large-scale dispatchable generation [2]-[10]. If the supply from distributed resources exceeds the time-varying demand across a feeder, then the feeder-level voltage will increase. In extreme cases, large voltage increases will trigger the disconnection of distributed generation to protect electrical equipment and ensure customer safety. Consequently, coordinating renewable energy sources that are distributed throughout the distribution system-to match real-time demand across an entire power network-brings the additional challenge of maintaining a high level of supply reliability.