An MDP-Based Approach for Distribution System Control with PV Generation and Battery Storage

This paper proposes a decision-making approach for the control of distribution systems with distributed energy resources (DERs) equipped with photovoltaic (PV) units and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The objective is to minimize the total operational cost of the distribution system while satisfying the system operating constraints. The method is based on the discrete-time finite-horizon Markov Decision Process (MDP) framework. Different aspects of the distribution system operation are considered, such as the possibilities of curtailment of PV generation, managing battery storage, reactive power injection, load shedding, and providing a flexibility service for the transmission system. The model is tested for the IEEE 33-bus system with two added DERs and the study cases involve various unexpected events. The experimental results show that this method enables the attainment of relatively low total cost values compared to the reference deterministic approach. The benefits of applying this approach are particularly evident when there is a significant difference between the predicted and actual PV power generation.