Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 79 (2017) 1108–1121

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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser

Energy storage planning in electric power distribution networks – A state- MARK

of-the-art review
⁎
Hedayat Sabooria, Reza Hemmatia, , Seyyed Mohammad Sadegh Ghiasib, Shahab Dehghanc
a
Department of Electrical Engineering, Kermanshah University of Technology, Kermanshah, Iran
b
Department of Electrical Engineering, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
c
Faculty of Electrical, Biomedical, and Mechatronics Engineering, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran

A R T I C L E I N F O A BS T RAC T

Keywords: In the past decade, energy storage systems (ESSs) as one of the structural units of the smart grids have
Distribution network experienced a rapid growth in both technical maturity and cost effectiveness. These devices propose diverse
Energy storage planning applications in the power systems especially in distribution networks. Despite offering numerous applications,
Energy storage allocation the ESSs are new devices characterized by high investment costs. Besides technological advancement, optimal
Optimal sizing
ESS planning and scheduling is one of the effective ways to reduce the costs and justifying high investment costs
Optimal sitting
by taking their benefits out as much as possible. During the past few years, various studies have been conducted
by the researcher to address the problem of optimal ESS planning in distribution networks. In this context,
various models, methods, and considerations have been proposed to enhance the functionality of optimal
planning process. The aim of this paper is to review the problem of optimal ESS planning including optimal bus
location, power rating, and energy capacity determination in the distribution networks. In order to facilitate
continuing and growing research in this field, a comprehensive literature survey and classification of the related
studies followed by research gaps and future opportunities is provided.

1. Introduction distribution networks can be generally summarized as arbitrage or load

During the past decades, electric power industry has experienced
unprecedented technological developments resulting in innovation in
the various parts of the utility. Moreover, growing demand for the
electricity in the modern society alongside with sustainability and
environmental concerns is driving the development and implementa-
tion of a new power delivery system. With the advent of smart grids
concept, distribution networks continue to move quickly toward
becoming smarter and more secure subject to the technical and
economic constraints. New technologies have been a great driver in
the smart grid deployment and development, especially in distribution
networks [1,2]. Over the last years, energy storage systems (ESSs) as
one of the fundamental requirements of the smart grid advancement
and implementation have seen a rapid growth in both technical
maturity and cost effectiveness [3].
Applications of the ESSs in various subsystems of the power
systems and especially smart grids are considered and reviewed well
in the literature [4–7]. Distribution network as one the structural units
of electric power system certainly get benefits from achievable applica-
tions of the ESSs in this network. Applications of the ESSs in the
leveling [8,9], renewable energy integration, smoothing, and time-shift
[10–12], renewable energy capacity firming [13], network congestion
relief and upgrade deferral [14,15], emission reduction [16], transient
and steady-state voltage control [17,18], load following and frequency
control [19], and loss reduction [20].
High costs associated with the installing ESSs, especially high
investment costs, is the main obstacle to develop these useful devices.
Although new technological advancements have been provided to
mitigate this problem, but the ESSs are not yet comparable to other
conventional equipments in the distribution network.
One of the practical solutions to overcome this obstruction is to take
all applications out of the ESSs at the same time. In other words,
extracting multiple synergic applications of the ESSs can help to
increase their benefits, enhance cost effectiveness, and justify high
investment costs. This can be achieved by an optimal investment plan
for the ESSs in the distribution network. The new came into sight
problem is an optimization problem aiming at finding optimal bus
location, power rating, and energy capacity of the ESSs in a distribution
network. The objective of the problem is to maximize the benefits
achieved by the applications of the ESSs in the network subject to the

⁎
Correspondence to: Department of Electrical Engineering, Kermanshah University of Technology, P.O. Box: 63766-67178, Kermanshah, Iran.
E-mail addresses: h.saboori@kut.ac.ir (H. Saboori), r.hemmati@kut.ac.ir (R. Hemmati), smsghiasi@aut.ac.ir (S.M.S. Ghiasi), shahab.dehghan@ieee.org (S. Dehghan).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.171
Received 14 December 2016; Received in revised form 28 April 2017; Accepted 20 May 2017
1364-0321/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
H. Saboori et al. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 79 (2017) 1108–1121

technical limitations of the network and the ESSs. ESS planning in distribution networks, in addition to the contributions
This new optimization problem has been attracting more attention of the reviewed works, the review content is classified as follows. After
over the last years [21–51] and a variety of models, methods, and this introduction and in Section 2, various commercial ESS technolo-
consideration has been developed. In this context, this paper reviews gies and modeling details used by the researchers in the planning
the problem of optimal ESS planning in distribution networks. It problem are evaluated. In Section 3, those applications of the ESSs
should be noted that in the problem in hand the planning means not which are employed in the problem and the associated objective
only sizing in terms of power rating and energy capacity but also sitting functions are considered. Joining ESS planning with other solutions
of the ESSs in a distribution network with buses and lines. The ESS in the network, various objective types in terms of single or multi-
planning in a single bus network (single node model) which refers to objective, and also multi-stage planning concept are also dealt with in
only ESS sizing is not the focus of this paper because this problem has this section. Network modeling in addition to the solution methods and
already been widely reviewed [52–55]. The work in [56] performs a uncertainty modeling and management issues are investigated in
review of ESS planning in distribution networks, but, this work has Section 4. Finally, Section 5 offers conclusion remarks of the work.
been merged ESS planning in the network and ESS planning in the
microgrid. It should be kept in mind that most of the ESS applications 2. Energy storage technologies and modeling for planning
in the distribution network including voltage control, loss reduction,
congestion alleviation, and network expansion deferral will be achieved 2.1. Energy storage technologies
only in a network constrained framework. Therefore, combining this
problem with ESS planning in microgrid results in lessening the details Energy storage systems (ESSs) in the electric power networks can
of the work. In addition, numerous new works have been published be provided by a variety of techniques and technologies. The ESS
after that works. In this regard, this paper offers a detailed and updated technologies include pumped hydraulic storage (PHS), compressed air
review of the network constrained ESS planning in distribution net- energy storage (CAES), flywheel energy storage (FWES), superconduct-
work. ing magnetic energy storage (SMES), battery energy storage system
To this end, high quality research works are surveyed and classified (BESS), and supercapacitor or ultracapacitor energy storage (SCES).
in details in order to facilitate continuing research in this field. Table 1 Today, these technologies are very popular and used for various
shows list of the reviewed works together with the publication date and applications in the power systems [57].
the associated journal title. As the table shows, number of the In general, storage systems are categorized based on two factors
publications is increased year by year. The growing number of the namely storage medium (type of the energy stored) and storage
works demonstrates importance of the topic. (discharge) duration. In the first type classification, the ESSs are
Considering the components of the optimization problem in hand, divided to mechanical, chemical, and electrical storage systems based
on the form in which the energy is stored. The mechanical energy
storage can also be divided into kinetic and potential. Also, the
Table 1
electrical energy storage is divided into electrostatic and magnetic
List of the reviewed works.
energy storage. The pumped hydraulic storage and compressed air
Ref # Date of Publication Journal Title energy storage, flywheel energy storage, ultracapacitor, superconduct-
ing magnetic energy storage, and battery energy storage are belong to
[21] Nov 2010 IEEE Transactions on Power Systems
potential mechanical, kinetic mechanical, electrostatic electrical, mag-
[22] Jun 2013 IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
[23] Jan 2014 IEEE Transactions on Power Systems netic electrical, and chemical storage categories, respectively.
[24] Jul 2014 International Journal of Electrical Power and Base on the second criterion, i.e. storage or discharge duration,
Energy Systems storage technologies are divided into two main categories including
[25] Sep 2014 IEEE Transactions on Power Systems long-term and short-term storage. The long-term storage, also known
[26] Sep 2014 Electronics Letters
[27] Sep 2014 IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
as centralized bulk storage, large-scale, or grid-scale storage, is a
[28] Jan 2015 IEEE Transactions on Power Systems relatively large storage installation suitable for storing large amounts
[29] Nov 2015 Energy Conversion and Management of electricity. In this case, the storage capacity ranges from a few to
[30] Nov 2015 IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid hundreds of megawatts and the unit can supply power to the grid with
[31] Nov 2015 International Journal of Electrical Power and
discharge durations more than 8 h. The pumped hydro, compressed air
Energy Systems
[32] Dec 2015 Energy energy storage, and large-scale batteries belong to this category.
[33] Jan 2016 IEEE Transactions on Power Systems Considering the long discharge duration and energy capacity, this type
[34] Apr 2016a IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid of storage is fitted to the long-term energy management applications
[35] such as energy arbitrage, congestion management, expansion deferral,
[36] Apr 2016 Journal of Renewable and Sustainable
Energy
and long term voltage control. Second type of storage in this classifica-
[37] May 2016 IEEE Transactions on Power Systems tion is known as short-term or transient storage. The flywheel energy
[38] May 2016 IET Generation, Transmission & storage, superconducting magnetic energy storage, ultracapacitor, and
Distribution small-scale batteries fit in this category. Considering short-term
[39] Aug 2016 IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
response, this type of storage is suitable for frequency regulation,
[40] Aug 2016 IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
[41] Sep 2016 IET Renewable Power Generation short-term voltage control, transient renewable energy smoothing, and
[42] Oct 2016 Energy power quality improvement.
[43] Dec 2016 Applied Energy The energy storage used in the distribution networks should met
[44] Jan 2017a IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy some specific requirements in this network. Implementation of the
[45]
[46] Jan 2017 IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy
large-scale storage plants like pumped hydro storage and compressed
[47] Mar 2017 Applied Energy air energy storage involve special geographical and footprint require-
[48] Mar 2017 Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean ments which cannot be achieved in distribution networks. Also, short-
Energy term storage technologies including flywheel, ultracapacitor, and
[49] Apr 2017 Solar Energy
superconducting magnetic energy storage are characterized by short
[50] May 2017 Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
[51] Jul 2017 Electric Power Systems Research discharge duration and very low energy density. Therefore, these
technologies cannot provide long-term and high energy density re-
a
Two-part publication. quirements of the energy management solutions in the distribution

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Table 2
Economical characteristics of the ESS technologies [72].

ESS Technology Configuration Total capital cost

Per unit of power rating (€/KW) Per unit of energy rating (€/KWh)

Min Average Max Min Average Max

Pumped Hydro Conventional 1030 1406 1675 96 137 181

Compressed Air Underground 774 893 914 48 92 106
Aboveground 1286 1315 1388 210 263 278
Flywheel High Speed 590 867 1446 1850 4791 25049
Battery Lead-acid 1388 1923 3254 346 457 721
Na-S 1863 2254 2362 328 343 398
ZEBRA 2279 3376 4182 596 699 808
Li-ion 874 1160 1786 973 1095 1211
VRFB 2109 2512 2746 459 546 560
Zn-Br 1277 1360 1649 257 307 433
Fe-Cr 1099 1132 1358 170 220 281
Ni-Cd 927 1093 1308 1071 1147 1153
PSB 1376 1400 1425 527 569 611
Zn-air 1313 1364 1415 262 271 417
Supercapacitor Double Layer 214 229 247 691 765 856
SMES 212 218 568 5310 6090 6870
Hydrogen Fuel Cell 2395 3243 4674 399 540 779
Gas Turbine 1360 1570 2743 227 262 457

network. Table 3
In contrast, with the advancement of the high power and high Technical characteristics of the ESS technologies [72].
energy density, high efficiency, environmental friendly and grid scale
ESS Technology Configuration Round Trip Life Time
batteries, these devices are becoming one of the most potential storage Efficiency (Year)
technologies suitable for employment in the distribution networks.
Nowadays, the BESS have been adequately developed to reach a Min Max Min Max
reasonable level of technical maturity and cost competiveness making
Pumped Hydro Conventional 0.70 0.82 50 60
them the first option for storage applications in distribution networks Compressed Air Underground 0.70 0.89 20 40
[57]. Aboveground 0.70 0.90 20 40
Flywheel High Speed 0.93 0.95 15 20
Battery Lead-acid 0.70 0.90 5 15
2.2. Energy storage modeling Na-S 0.75 0.90 10 15
ZEBRA 0.86 0.88 15 15
The ESSs are characterized by various technical and cost data. Most Li-ion 0.85 0.95 5 15
of these properties can be defined almost for all types of the ESSs. VRFB 0.65 0.85 5 10
Zn-Br 0.60 0.70 5 10
Power density, energy density, life-time in cycles and years, self-
Fe-Cr 0.72 0.75 10 15
discharge rate, round-trip efficiency, storage durability, and discharge Ni-Cd 0.60 0.73 10 20
duration are of the common characteristics of the storage units. Also, PSB 0.65 0.85 10 15
cost data can be stated as installation cost per power rating, installation Zn-air 0.60 0.70 5 10
cost per energy capacity rating, operation and maintenance cost, and Supercapacitor Double Layer 0.85 0.95 10 20
SMES SMES 0.95 0.98 15 20
replacement cost [58]. Tables 2 and 3 represent typical technical and
Hydrogen Fuel Cell 0.33 0.42 15 20
economic data for current ESS technologies installed in the power Gas Turbine 0.33 0.42 15 20
systems [58]. The tables contain required information in order to use in
a planning problem. Detailed technical and cost data can be found in
Ch Ch
[58]. gross power discharged from the ESS will be equivalent to PESS / ηESS .
In general, operation mechanism of an ESS can be modeled by its This issue should be regarded in the ESS power and energy balance
power conversion unit (PCS) and storage unit, as depicted by Fig. 1 equations in bus at which the ESS will be installed. Eq. (1) simplifies
[58,59]. Both the technical and cost modeling of the ESS can be made the above issue and revises the power balance equation in order to
by this simple figure. As in the figure, a quantity of the charged power account for the ESS installation in the bus.
into and discharged power from the ESS will drop in the conversion
Di Ch
devices. The percent of the charge efficiency imposed by the power PG + PESS = PESS + PD + PI (1)
conversion unit in charging mode defines the relation between power
drawn from the grid and net power charged into the ESS. Strictly As in (1), an ESS unit can be modeled as a controllable load and a
Ch
speaking, if PESS Ch
and ηESS refer to charge power drawn from the bus and generating unit to account for charge and discharge states, respectively.
Ch Ch
the power conversion unit efficiency in charging mode, then the net In this equation, variables PESS and PESS represent charging power
power charged into the ESS will be equivalent to PESS Ch Ch
× ηESS . drawn from and discharging power injected to the bus by energy
Similar to the charge state, discharge state affects from the power storage s installed in bus i and at time period t, respectively, while PG ,
conversion unit in discharging mode. It is worth mentioning that, gross PD , and PI stand for generated power in the bus, bus demand, and
discharged power drawn from the ESS is equal to the net discharging injected power to the lines connected to the bus, respectively.
power injected to the grid at ESS installation bus in addition to the Besides charging and discharging losses in the power conversion
power conversion unit losses in discharging mode. In other words, if unit, some of the power stored in the storage unit will lost by the time.
Di
PESS Di
and ηESS stand for net discharge power injected to the bus and This effect is known as self-discharge and its amount is a function of
discharging power conversion unit efficiency in discharging mode, then storage technology and storage durability.

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H. Saboori et al. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 79 (2017) 1108–1121

Fig. 1. Modeling of an ESS.

Considering the abovementioned inherent losses in the whole [22,24,26,33,40,42,47–49,51].

storages system, the efficiency of the system is defined as the relation Various battery systems each possessing technological maturity for
between gross injected energy (charged) into and net drawn energy grid-scale applications are considered by the researchers for planning
(discharged) from the system. The storage system efficiency is known in distribution networks including lithium-ion (Li-ion), lead-acid (L-A),
as round-trip efficiency as given by (2). sodium-sulfur (Na-S), nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd), vanadium redox flow
Eout (VRFB or VRB), zinc-bromine (Zn-Br), iron-chrome (Fe-Cr), sodium-
ηESS = nickel-chloride (NaNiCl2 or ZEBRA), and value regulated lead-acid
Ein (2)
battery (VRLA). A number of the proposed planning models have
For the cost modeling of the ESS, involving cost components considered some specific battery technologies with the possibility of
including investment and operation and maintenance (O & M) costs technology selection [21,23,27,28,30,41,43]. In this case, the planning
should be considered. One-shot, investment, or capital cost refers to problem besides location and capacity finds optimal battery technology
the cost of installing ESSs including cost of the main storage units, among a list of the candidates including L-A, VRLA, Na-S, Zn-Br, and
power conversion unit, substation, and so on. The operation and VRB [21], L-A and Li-ion [23], L-A, Na-S, and VR [27,28,30], L-A, and
maintenance cost of the ESS is negligible since they consumes no fuel Zn-Br [41], and L-A, ZEBRA, Na-S, Zn-Br, VRFB, Ni-Cd, and Li-ion
in addition to the fact that grid-scale batteries (main considered ESS [43]. The work in [43] has been compared several battery technologies
for planning in distribution network) do not contain rotary parts considering various technical and economical parameters taking into
resulting in minimum maintenance requirements and costs. The account their uncertainties by fuzzy logic.
ESSs investment and O & M cost should be add up considering their One of the important aspects of the batteries which should be
different time horizons. This consideration while combining these cost addressed properly during planning process is their life time problem.
terms with other cost components in the objective function should be This issue is considered in some works through defining a life cycle or
taken into account. The ESS cost components including total invest- replacement cost which is proportional to the number of charge/
ment cost and annual O & M cost are defined as a linear equation equal discharge cycles and depth of discharge (DoD) [22,25,31,33,37–
to the planed power and energy capacity of the ESSs multiplied by 41,47,50]. In the considered models for battery life cycle, more
associated costs as declared by (3) and (4). charge/discharge cycles and DoD results in more wear and tear and
Inv Inv Inv Inv Inv consequently earlier replacement time, in turn.
CESS = PESS × CPESS + EESS × CEESS (3)
The last consideration about ESS modeling is to assume that the
O&M
CESS Inv
= PESS O&M
× CPESS Inv
+ EESS O&M
× CEESS (4) ESSs have the capability of supporting the network with both active
and reactive power [22,24,31,33,40–43,48]. Table 4 show a summary
TY O&M Inv
CESS = CESS + AF × CESS (5) of technologies, characteristics, and modeling details of the considered
ESS in the problem.
r (1 + r ) L
AF =
(1 + r ) L −1 (6) 2.3. Future works
Inv O&M
In (3) and (4), CESS and CESS represent the ESS total investment
cost and yearly O & M cost, respectively. In addition, PESS Inv Inv
and EESS Considering the ESS technologies and models used in the research
stand for planed power capacity and energy capacity of the ESS, works, especially battery systems, following items which are not or
respectively. Moreover,CPESS Inv Inv
,CEESS O&M
, CPESS O&M
, and CEESS denote in- inadequately addressed can be stated as future work.
vestment cost for per-unit of the planed power and energy of the ESS
and O & M cost for per-unit of the planed power and energy of the ESS, – Self-discharge of the batteries is not addressed yet. Various battery
respectively. systems are characterized by different self-discharge rates. Modeling
TY
In (5),CESS Inv
, CESS , and CESS O&M
represent total yearly ESS cost, ESS this effect can represent real-life systems more practically.
total investment cost, and ESS yearly O & M cost, respectively. In order – Battery life-time is not addressed adequately. Various detailed
OM models are proposed to model battery life-time in the related
to making accordance with the yearly O & M cost (CESS ), the ESS total
Inv literature which can be used in the planning problem.
investment cost (CESS ) is converted to a annual value by multiplying
annuity factors (AF). This factor is defined in (6) where r denotes the – There is a phenomenon in the batteries named Memory Effect.
discount rate and L is the ESS lifetime in years [58,59]. Memory Effect is a situation in which effective capacity of the energy
The research works focusing on the ESS planning problem in the storage in the battery is decreased over the time such that the BESS
distribution network, have been considered details of the ESS model in cannot be charged with its rated energy capacity. This matter will
various ways as follows. Some works have been considered the ESS as influence obtained benefits of the BESS. This effect can be modeled
its general form without any considerations related to a specific in the planning problem.
technology and without technology selection [25,29,31,32,34–39,44– – As stated above, a battery system uses a power conversion unit to
46,50]. Some other works have been considered a typical battery connect with the grid. Reactive power capability of the whole storage
system without any battery specific consideration without technology system is defined and limited by this conversion unit. Using a
selection which is not mainly different from previous case expect detailed model for power conversion unit is the key factor to
considering a general lifecycle or replacement cost for the battery represent active/reactive behavior of the whole storage system. In

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Table 4
ESS technologies and modeling details.

Ref # ESS technology Technology selection Life cycle (battery) ESS reactive power

General ESS Battery

[21] – L-A, VRLA, Na-S, Zn-Br, VRB Yes Yes –

[22] – General (Li-ion) – – Yes
[23] – L-A and Li-ion Yes Yes –
[24] – General – – –
[25] Yes – – – Yes
[26] – General – Yes –
[27] – L-A, Na-S, VR Yes Yes –
[28] – L-A, Na-S, VR Yes Yes –
[29] Yes – – – –
[30] – L-A, Na-S, VR Yes Yes –
[31] Yes – – – Yes
[32] Yes – – – –
[33] – General – Yes Yes
[34] Yes – – – –
[35]
[36] Yes – – – –
[37] Yes – – – Yes
[38] Yes – – – Yes
[39] Yes – – – Yes
[40] – General (Li-ion) – Yes Yes
[41] – L-A, Zn-Br Yes Yes –
[42] – General – Yes Yes
[43] – L-A, ZEBRA, Na-S, Zn-Br, VRFB, Ni-Cd, Li-ion Yes Yes –
[44] Yes – – – –
[45]
[46] Yes – – – –
[47] – General (Li-ion) – – Yes
[48] – General (Na-s) – Yes –
[49] – General – – –
[50] Yes – – – Yes
[51] – General (Li-ion) – – –

this context, more detailed models can be used to better account for
the capability curve of the active/reactive powers of the system.

3. Energy storage applications and planning objectives

3.1. Energy storage applications

As mentioned in the introduction part, the ESSs possess many

potential applications in the distribution networks. However, in the
distribution network, the most important ESS applications are mainly
considered in the ESS planning.
The first and mostly utilized application which is almost considered
in all of the works is arbitrage or load leveling [21–51]. The arbitrage
refers to store the ESS when electricity is cheap during low demand
periods through charge action in order to supply the load when the
electricity is expensive during high demand periods through the Fig. 2. Load leveling application of the ESS [60].

discharge action. This will result in flattening the load profile, shaving
the peak of the load profile, and consequently lowering cost of the
supplying load in the entire time period of the operation. The arbitrage
or load leveling practice is also referred as peak shaving along with
valley filling, as demonstrated by Fig. 2 [60].
The required energy for charging the ESS during low demand
periods come from the upstream network (HV/MV substation) in the
conventional distribution networks and/or the other sources in the
active distribution networks. The active distribution network denotes a
situation in which a distribution network contains small-scale dis-
patchable fuel fired (micro-turbine) and/or non-dispatchable renew-
able distributed generation (DG) resources.
It should be noted that the reason of the obtained cost saving from
the load leveling is the quadratic from of the cost function of the
electric power production. Considering the high share of thermal power
generation in the system, electric power production is a function of the
fossil fuel fired in the form of a quadratic function as stated by (7).
CG = α + β PG + γ PG2 (7)
In this equation,PG and CG represent power production and
associated generation cost, respectively. Also,α , β , and γ denote first,
second, and third order cost function coefficients, respectively. In order
to relax the nonlinearities of this function and enhance convergence
process of the solution method, it is a common practice to use a piece-
wise linear approximation as illustrated by Fig. 3. As the figure shows,
the quadratic cost function is approximated with a sequence of straight
line segments. The details of such an approximation can be found in
[60].
Network congestion is a condition in which the existing distribution
feeders are unable to accommodate connected load which is usually
occurs during periods of high demand or during emergency conditions
[61]. Network congestion impacts reliability considerably since if
feeders are congested and operated at (or near) their thermal limits,

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H. Saboori et al.
Fig. 3. Piecewise linear approximation of the quadratic cost function curve [60].
they would be exposed to protective devices trip. The practice of
alleviating congestion is referred as congestion management [61].
Congestion management can be addressed simply by decreasing
loading on the system elements through lines upgrade or expansion
and/or shifting peak load to off-peak periods. In other word, employing
ESS to level load profile can defer expansion requirements enhanced by
congestion during high demand periods. Shaving peak of the load
profile by ESS will decrease line flows, incurred congestion, and
postpone need for upgrade the network, in turn. Congestion alleviation
or equivalently network upgrade deferral is the second ESS application
which is widely addressed in the problem [22,25,27–31,33–
35,37,38,40,42–45,47,48].
Three main drawbacks of the distribution networks due to radial
configuration are high levels of voltage drop and losses in addition to
low levels of reliability. The ESSs can assist to diminish these problems
appropriately. In this context, the ESSs are also planned to enhance
level of the reliability in the distribution network [25–27,30–35,42–
46,48,51]. In these works, because of the cost-based nature of the
objective function, the reliability index is usually expressed as a
monetary value namely ENS and EENS. The ENS measure is generally
considered as the cost of unsupplied demands over a specified time
period. This cost can be calculated as the quantity of the unsupplied
energy multiplied by the forfeiture as stated by (8). In this equation,
ENSt denotes the quantity of the unsupplied energy (kWh) at stage t
and ECt represents the value of forfeiture ($/kWh) for the unsupplied
energy at stage t of the considered time period [62].
T
T
ENSCost = ∑ (ENSt × ECt ) ($/ Time Period )
t =1
In [51], the reliability index Momentary Average Interruption
Frequency Index (MAIFI) is minimized by optimally determining the
capacity and location of battery banks and also the reliability index
System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIDI) is optimized by
finding the optimal number and location of switching devices.
Voltage control and support is another application which is
considered in the ESS planning problem [22,24,25,27,31,33,37–
40,42–45,47,49]. In the most of these works, in order to control
voltage of the buses, the reactive power production capability of the
ESSs is taken into account while in others is not, i.e., the ESS support
the voltage only by active power production. This issue is addressed in
Section 2.
Since technical losses in the distribution feeders are a function of
the square of the load current, shifting any part of the load from peak to
off-peak period will result in a net reduction of losses. Fig. 4 illustrates
the situation where shifting load from peak to off-peak decreases losses
considerably in the periods with high demand at the expense of a
partial growth in losses at low demand periods. The loss reduction
achieved by the load leveling through employing ESSs occurs in
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 79 (2017) 1108–1121
Fig. 4. Effect of lad leveling on technical losses [20].
distribution line, cables, transformers, buses, switches, and other
network devices passing the load current [20]. This issue decreases
total losses in the network considerably. The loss reduction application
of the ESS is adopted as one of the applications in [21–
23,25,26,28,30,38,39,41,47].
In the distribution network, the growth in distributed generation
(DG) connection is resulted in to a change in behavior of the network.
In the past, distribution networks were operated to carry electric power
from up-stream transmission network to down-stream costumers.
Nowadays, with the advent and connection of the DG resources, the
place of a share of the generation is now closer to the demand which led
to change in power flow in some cases. Enlarged integration of
renewable resources into the distribution networks is presenting
several challenges to distribution network operators (DNOs) especially
the procurement of network access in capacity constrained networks.
Excess generated power over the required quantity for supply load can
be transmitted to the transmission network or curtailed alternatively.
Delivering surplus power to the up-stream network is usually restricted
by lack of the capacity on the distribution network feeders. As a result,
there may be some curtailment of excessive renewable generated
power. By definition, wind curtailment is referred as to reduce output
power of the wind turbines to an output level lower than existing
availability [63,64].
Employing the ESSs can help to improve wind energy utilization by
avoiding curtailment through absorbing excess energy in charge action.
In other word, excess electric energy produced by the wind turbines
over the required demand can be used to charge ESSs as an alternative
to curtailment in order to use when needed [21,26,37,41].
The ESSs possess the potential to decarbonize the electric power
(8) sector by presenting a novel, carbon-free, and non-polluting solution
for operational flexibility by means of improving the employment of
generation assets and facilitating the integration of variable renewable
energy sources [65]. Electric power production by using thermal and
fossil fuel-fired generating units is resulted in significant environmen-
tal effect through emissions of CO2, NOX and SO2. The ESS integration
can decrease the power generation from these units. Therefore, the
level of the pollutions emitted by these sources will be reduced. The
emission cost function can be expressed by (9).
CEm = CO2 (PG ) + NOx (PG ) + SO2(PG ) (9)
In this equation,PG and CEm represent power production and
associated emission cost of the generating unit, respectively. Also,
CO2, NOX and SO2 represent equivalent emission cost functions. It
should be noted that the emissions may be produced by the power
plants in the up-stream network and/or fuel-fired dispatchable DG
resources in the distribution network. Flattening the load profile by the
ESSs in order to reduce these emissions is focused in
[26,41,44,45,47,48].
Finally, the ESSs are employed to follow changes in load profile
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(compensate forecast errors) [23] and also to procure reserve power in
the network [38].
Abovementioned applications can be achieved, quantified, and
calculated by steady-state balanced studies. These applications are
considered as a goal to plan ESSs in the distribution networks by
network operation frameworks namely optimal power flow (OPF) and
unit commitment (UC). Other applications of the ESSs in the distribu-
tion network are related to nodal and/or transient short-term studies
or unbalance network models which cannot combine with steady-state
balance applications including short-term renewable energy smoothing
[66,67], low-voltage and fault ride-through [68,69], load following and
regulation [70], voltage unbalance mitigation [71], short-term power
quality improvement [72,73], and neutral-to-earth voltage (NEV)
mitigation [74,75].
3.2. Planning objectives
The abovementioned applications of the ESSs are achieved by
defining objective function of the proposed model. In other word, the
defined objective function should capture considered ESS applications.
The objective function in the conventional vertically integrated systems
is usually expressed as a minimization of sum of the several cost terms
as denoted by (10).
Obj = Min (NPC ) (10)
In this equation, NPC refers to the total net present cost of the
operation and planning costs in the network. The NPC can be defined
based on a daily, yearly, or even life-time horizon. In the deregulated
market environments, the objective function is expressed as a max-
imization of the distribution company (DISCO) net profit as stated by
(11).
Obj = Max (NPI −NPC ) (11)
In this equation, NPI denotes net present income from selling
energy to customers equal to the sold power multiplied by its price for
each time period. It is worth mentioning that NPI and NPC in this
equation should be defined at a same operation horizon, usually daily
or yearly.
The NPC which denotes total cost of the system contains identical
cost terms for the both operation environments. The cost terms are
related to the considered applications for the ESSs in addition to the
ESS itself, explained in the following.
Considering the nature of the problem, ESS planning, investment
and operation and maintenance (O & M) costs are the main cost terms
whish should be considered in the problem. The ESSs investment and
O & M cost should be add up taking into account their different time
horizons. The investment cost is a life-time or one-shot cost while O &
M cost is usually expressed as a yearly cost. As denoted in Section 2,
appropriate coefficients should be used when adding these different
cost terms.
Other contributed cost terms in the objective function are asso-
ciated with the considered ESS applications in the network which are
explained in the previous subsection. These cost terms include opera-
tion cost or energy purchase (from up-stream substation or local micro-
turbines) [21–51], reliability index or load curtailment cost including
ENS [32,33,42,43,48], EENS [27,30,35], MAIFI [51], and SAIDI [51],
penalty factors for voltage and line flow limit devia-
tions [24,25,27,31,33,42,43,49], network losses [21–
23,25,26,28,30,38,39,41,47], emission cost [26,41,44,45,47,48], and
curtailment cost [21,26,37,41]. It ought to be noted that all of the cost
terms included in the objective function irrespective of their original
time horizon should be converted to a base operation horizon, i.e.,
daily, yearly, or life-time by using proper coefficients [76].
Planning of the ESSs in the distribution network can be combined
with the planning of the other equipment, devices, and solutions. First
and primary planning problem in the distribution network is the
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 79 (2017) 1108–1121
network upgrade and/or expansion planning which refers to define
the location and capacity of the new added or upgraded lines to cope
with load growth and network congestion considering minimum
investment cost. This problem is investigated and well-reviewed in
the conventional and active distribution networks [77–80].
After that and with the purpose of improving network voltage
profile, planning of the voltage source devices like capacitors and
DFACTS (distribution flexible AC transmission systems) devices have
been the focus of the researchers [81]. In capacitor (or other voltage
control devices) planning problem in the distribution network, the
objective is to flatten voltage profile of the buses around one per-unit
with minimum planning costs.
In the past decade and with the advent of small-scale local
generation resources in distribution networks, known as distributed
generation (DG), a new planning problem in distribution networks,
namely DG planning, has been emerged. This problem deals with
finding the optimal location and capacity of the fuel-fired and/or
renewable DG sources in order that the desired objectives achieved.
The objectives in this problem may consist of minimum power
generation cost, network losses reduction, flattening the voltage profile,
and reliability [82–86].
With this outlook, a number of the works have been coordinated the
planning of the ESSs with other equipment and solutions in the
network [22,26,27,29,34,35,37,42,44–46,50,51]. This practice can
potentially reduce overall cost of the planning multiple devices
especially in the case in which the ESS cannot cope with the network
shortages solely. In this context, ESS planning is jointed with the
capacitor planning [22], switch placement [26], load shedding [27],
network expansion [29], DG allocation in addition to the network
planning (feeder, substation, and transformer) [34,35], on-load tap
changer (OLTC) adjustment as well as DG power factor (PF) control
[37], capacitor planning along with the OLTC adjustment [42], DG
planning, network expansion, and capacitor planning [44,45], repla-
cing or adding lines (network reinforcement or expansion) [46], DG
planning [50], and switch placement [51].
It should be noted that, in the case of joint planning, investment
and O & M costs associated with the other new installed devices apart
from ESSs should be included in the objective function.
The objective function terms explained in the above can declare as a
single or multi-objective optimization problem. In the case of single-
objective modeling, all contributing terms in the objective function are
of identical type, to be exact, cost and based on a monetary value. The
objective function in this case can be expressed as (12).
Min C Tot = ∑ (α CiInv + β CiO & M )
i (12)
C Tot
In (12), , CiInv , CiO & M ,α ,
and β represent total planning cost for
the desired planning horizon, total planning investment cost, yearly
planning O & M cost, and proper coefficients in order to convert total
investment and yearly O & M cost to the desired planning horizon.
In contrary to single-objective planning, multi-objective modeling
contains various contributing terms in the objective function with
different and usually conflicting economic and technical nature. A
limited number of the works employ a multi-objective framework for
considering various conflicting objectives [24,31,38,51]. In most of
these works, a weighed sum approach, i.e., analytic hierarchy process
(AHP), is used to convert the problem to a single-objective one
[24,28,31]. Also, in [51] a Pareto Front approach is used to handle
the multi-objective model.
Finally, the optimization problem can be formulated as a single-
stage or multi-stage problem. In the single-stage planning only
location, power rating, and energy capacity of the ESSs will be defined
optimally [21–28,31–33,36–43,46–51]. In the multi-stage planning
the optimal time of the installations is also determined among a
predefined planning stages usually years [29,30,34,35,44,45].
Table 5 shows a summary of the considered ESS applications and
H. Saboori et al. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 79 (2017) 1108–1121

Table 5
ESS applications and objective function terms and considerations.

Ref # ESS application Objective function Objective Type Joint planning with Multi-Stage
Planning

[21] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage

Wind utilization cost
Renewable energy time shift ESS investment and OM cost
Loss minimization ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Power losses cost
Wind curtailment cost
[22] Arbitrage ESS investment and OM cost Single objective Capacitor planning Single-Stage
Voltage support Power losses cost
Loss reduction expansion Operation (energy purchase)
deferral cost
Reactive power Cost (grid and
DG)
[23] Load following Forecast error (power balance) Single objective – Single-Stage
Loss minimization cost
ESS investment and OM cost
ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Power losses cost
[24] Voltage support ESS investment Single objective – Single-Stage
Voltage limit deviation cost
[25] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Multi objective(AHP) – Single-Stage
Loss minimization cost
Congestion alleviation Micro-turbine operation cost
Voltage support ESS investment and OM cost
Reliability improvement ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Network expansion deferral Power losses cost
Load curtailment cost
Voltage limit deviation cost
Flow limit deviation cost
Network expansion cost
ESS internal losses cost
[26] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective Switch placement Single-Stage
Wind utilization cost
Loss minimization ESS investment and OM cost
Emission reduction ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Reliability improvement Power losses cost
Wind curtailment cost
Emission cost
Load curtailment cost
Switch investment and OM cost
[27] Congestion alleviation ESS investment and OM cost Single objective Load shedding Single-Stage
Voltage support ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Reliability improvement Reliability cost (EENS)
Voltage limit deviation cost
Flow limit deviation cost
[28] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Loss minimization cost
Network expansion deferral Micro-turbine operation cost
ESS investment and OM cost
ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Power losses cost
Network expansion cost
[29] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective Network expansion (feeder) Multi-Stage
Network expansion deferral cost
ESS investment and OM cost
Network expansion cost
[30] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Multi-Stage
Loss minimization cost
Network expansion deferral Micro-turbine operation cost
Reliability improvement ESS investment and OM cost
ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Power losses cost
Network expansion cost
Reliability Cost (EENS)
[31] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Multi objective – Single-Stage
Loss minimization cost (AHP)
Congestion alleviation ESS investment and OM cost
Voltage support Power losses cost
Reliability improvement Load curtailment cost
Voltage limit deviation cost
Flow limit deviation cost
[32] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Reliability improvement cost
(continued on next page)

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Table 5 (continued)

Ref # ESS application Objective function Objective Type Joint planning with Multi-Stage
Planning

ESS investment and OM cost

Reliability Cost (ENS)
[33] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Congestion alleviation cost
Voltage support ESS investment and OM cost
Reliability improvement ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Reliability cost (ENS)
Voltage limit deviation cost
Flow limit deviation cost
[34] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective DG planning Multi-Stage
[35] Congestion alleviation cost Network expansion (feeder,
Reliability improvement Micro-turbine operation cost substation, and
Network expansion deferral ESS investment and OM cost transformer)
DG investment and OM cost
Network expansion cost
Unserved energy Cost (EENS)
[36] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
cost
ESS investment and OM cost
[37] Arbitrage (load leveling) Operation (energy purchase) Single objective OLTC adjustment Single-Stage
Wind utilization cost DG PF control
Congestion alleviation ESS investment and OM cost
Voltage support Wind curtailment cost
[38] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Multi objective – Single-Stage
Reserve procurement cost (AHP)
Congestion alleviation ESS operation cost
Voltage support ESS internal losses cost
Loss reduction
[39] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Loss minimization cost
Voltage support ESS investment cost
Power losses cost
[40] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Congestion alleviation cost
Voltage support ESS investment and OM cost
ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
[41] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Wind utilization cost
Loss minimization Micro-turbine operation cost
Emission reduction ESS investment and OM cost
Power losses cost
Emission cost
Wind curtailment cost
[42] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective Capacitor planning Single-Stage
Congestion alleviation cost OLTC adjustment
Voltage support ESS investment and OM cost
Reliability improvement ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Reliability cost (ENS)
Voltage limit deviation cost
Flow limit deviation cost
Capacitor Investment cost
[43] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Congestion alleviation cost
Voltage support ESS investment and OM cost
Reliability improvement ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Reliability cost (ENS)
Voltage limit deviation cost
Flow limit deviation cost
[44] Arbitrage ESS investment and OM cost Single objective DG planning Multi-Stage
[45] expansion deferral Reliability cost Network expansion
Voltage support Emission costs Capacitor Planning
Emission reduction
Reliability improvement
[46] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective Network reinforcement Single-Stage
Reliability improvement cost and expansion (replacing and adding
ESS investment cost lines)
Reliability cost (VOLL)
[47] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
peak power generation cost
Voltage support ESS investment and OM cost
Loss reduction Power losses cost
expansion deferral Network expansion cost
Emission reduction Emissions Cost
(continued on next page)

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Table 5 (continued)

Ref # ESS application Objective function Objective Type Joint planning with Multi-Stage
Planning

VAR support
[48] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective – Single-Stage
Emission reduction cost
Reliability improvement ESS investment and OM cost
Network expansion deferral ESS replacement (life cycle) cost
Emission cost
Reliability cost (ENS)
Expansion deferral
[49] Voltage support ESS investment cost Single objective – Single-Stage
Voltage limit deviation cost
[50] Arbitrage Operation (energy purchase) Single objective DG Planning Single-Stage
cost
ESS investment and OM cost
[51] Reliability improvement ESS investment cost Multi Switch placement Single-Stage
Reliability cost (MAIFI and Objective
SAIDI) (Pareto Front)

objective function terms and considerations in the problem.
3.3. Future works
As stated above, various applications of the ESSs are considered in
the planning process by defining related objectives. In addition, some
consideration like active networks, multi-stage planning, multi-objec-
tive planning, and joint planning are proposed by the researchers.
Suggestions for the future works in this context can be declared as
follows.
– Employing multiple synergic applications of the ESSs as much as
possible will augment their cost effectiveness compared to the other
solutions in the network. For instance, application of the ESSs to act
as a backup source in island mode operation of the network is less
addressed.
– Developing new multi-objective models from synergic non-homo-
Fig. 5. Flowchart for solving constrained optimization problems by Meta-heuristic
optimization algorithms.
genous ESS applications is another way to cover their high invest-
ment cost. Various multi-objective models for instance Pareto Front
or ε-constraint models are not focused adequately.
– New joint planning models of the ESSs can be proposed including
adding new and/or replacing overhead conductor and underground
cable feeders, transformers, capacitors, phase-shifters, auto-boos-
ters, DFACTS, PHEV charging lots, dispatchable and non-dispatch-
able DGS, and other conventional and new solutions and devices in
medium and low voltage levels.
4. Network modeling, solution methods, and uncertainty
management
4.1. Modeling of the network
In order to constitute a network-constrained ESS planning pro-
blem, a model based on the power flow (PF) equations should be
developed. In general, two main power flow equations are developed
and used in the literature namely AC and DC power flow equations. In
AC power flow equations, besides active power, bus voltages, reactive
power, and network losses will be modeled and calculated as a non-
linear model resulting to an iterative solution method at the expense of
high execution time and risk of divergence. In contrary, DC power flow
equations, ignore network losses and consider bus voltages equal to
one per-unit resulting to ignoring reactive power. These approxima-
tions mean that only active power will be modeled and calculated
through a linear model, very fast, and non-iterative solution [87].
Although some DC power flow models are modified to consider
network losses or voltages while preserving linear nature, but, their
results are still far from AC power flow ones [88,89]. Each power flow
model possesses its pros and cons for the specific applications in
operation or planning problems.
In the reviewed problem in this work, ESS planning in distribution
network, the AC power flow model in the form of full or linear
approximated is used in the most of the works. The reason is behind
the fact that calculating some applications of the ESS requires knowing
bus voltages (for instance voltage support application) or network
losses (for instance loss reduction application) and this will be achieved
only via an AC power flow model. The works presented in [34,35,44–
46] use a DC power flow model which is enhanced with linear
expressions for voltage and losses, but, the considered approximated
models contain some errors compared to the full AC power flow as
stated by the authors.
Some works use a specific AC power flow model for radial
distribution networks known as DistFlow equations and converted it

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Table 6
Power flow, model types, and solution methods.

Ref # Power flow Model Solution Grid Uncertainty Management

voltage losses B LP heuristic classic size Uncertain parameters Uncertainty management method
U NLP

[21] Yes Yes B NLP – – 40 – –

[22] Yes Yes B NLP GA – 17 – –
(with SQP)
[23] Yes Yes B NLP PSO – IEEE 15 – –
[24] Yes Yes U NLP GA with SA – 281 – –
[25] Yes Yes B NLP – SOCP IEEE 34 – –
[26] Yes Yes B NLP GA – IEEE 33 – –
[27] Yes Yes B NLP GA – 33 Load Sequential
Wind Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS)
probabilistic load flow
[28] Yes Yes B NLP GA – 33 Load sequential Monte Carlo simulation (MCS)
Wind probabilistic load flow
[29] Yes Yes B NLP PSO – 30 – –
[30] Yes Yes B NLP GA – 33 Load sequential
Wind Monte Carlo simulation
probabilistic load flow
[31] Yes Yes B NLP – SOCP 287 – –
[32] Yes Yes B NLP PSO – 30 Load Monte-Carlo simulation
probabilistic load flow
[33] Yes Yes B NLP PSO+TS – 21 Load point estimate method (PEM)
Wind probabilistic load flow
[34] Yes – B LP – MILP 26 Load scenario-based stochastic programming
[35] Wind
Solar
[36] Yes Yes B NLP PSO – 30 – –
[37] Yes Yes B NLP – MINLP 16 – –
[38] Yes Yes B NLP – SOCP IEEE 34 – –
[39] Yes Yes B NLP Clustering – IEEE 34 – –
[40] Yes Yes B NLP – SOCP IEEE 13 Load non-parametric chance-constrained programming
PEV
DG
[41] Yes Yes B NLP DE – IEEE 15 Load Monte-Carlo simulation
Wind chance-constrained programming
DG
[42] Yes Yes B NLP PSO+TS – 21 Load point estimate method (PEM)
Wind probabilistic load flow
PEV
[43] Yes Yes B NLP SA+GA – 21 battery characteristics Fuzzy logic
Load probabilistic power flow
Wind factor analysis
[44] Yes Yes B LP – MILP IEEE 41 Load Stochastic Programming
[45] Wind
PV
[46] Yes Yes B LP – MILP 18 – –
[47] Yes Yes B NLP GA – 33 PV
[48] Yes Yes B NLP ISPO* – IEEE 33 – –
[49] Yes No B NLP GA – IEEE 8500 – –
[50] Yes Yes B NLP PSO – 30 – –
[51] Yes Yes B NLP NSGA II – 94 – –

to a second order cone programming model (SOCP) [25,31,38,40]. The
SOCP problem is a type of non-linear optimization problems in which a
linear objective function will be minimized over the intersection of an
affine-linear manifold and the product of second order cones (quadratic
functions). This problem can be solved by efficient primal-dual interior
point methods.
In a typical distribution network impedances of the lines are usually
unequal because of the uneven spaces between the conductors in the
distribution poles and also lack of the transposition practice. In
addition, even if distribution lines be balanced ideally, as a conse-
quence of supply various single phase loads the network is unbalance.
To address this issue in the problem, an unbalance three phase power
flow model should be utilized. All reported works in the field of ESS
planning in distribution networks uses a balance single phase power
flow model result in ignoring this matter.
4.2. Solution methods and uncertainty management
It should be noted that utilizing AC or DC power flow model will
result in a non-linear or linear model, respectively. The type of the
model, non-linear or linear, will have direct effect of the solution
method options, in turn. The models presented in [34,35,44–46] are
the only proposed linear models which consequently uses a commercial
mixed integer linear programming (MILP) solver, namely CPLEX.
Other works uses a non-linear model to formulate the problem which
several of them adopt a Meta-heuristic solution method [22–24,26–
30,32,33,36,39,41–43,47–51] and others a classic optimization solver
[25,31,34,35,37,38,40,44–46]. Meta-heuristic optimization algorithms
are optimization techniques that mainly work based on the random and
iterative procedures, as shown in Fig. 5. The algorithm starts with
generating a random initial population. The initial population is a
matrix and each row of the matrix is called a particle or chromosome.

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Each particle indicates a possible solution of the problem. At next step,
algorithm selects one particle in the population and objective function
of the problem is calculated for this particle. Then constraints of the
problem are checked for current particle. If the constraints are
dissatisfied, current particle is uninvolved and next one is evaluated.
This procedure is repeated to calculate objective function for all
particles in the population. Finally, the convergence criterion is
checked. If the convergence condition is met, the algorithm is over
and final solution is achieved. Otherwise, the algorithm iterates until
finding optimal result.
Various Meta-heuristic methods are used to solve the problem of
the ESS planning in distribution networks including genetic algorithms
(GA) [22,24,26–28,30,43,47,49,51], particle swarm optimization
(PSO) [23,29,32,33,36,42,50], tabu search (TS) [33,42], simulated
annealing (SA) [24,43], differential evolution (DE) [41], and intelligent
single particle optimizer (ISPO) [48]. The characteristics and details of
each Meta-heuristic method in the optimization problems especially
distribution planning are out of the scope of this paper and well-
reviewed in the literature previously [90–93].
One of the important inputs of the planning problems is forecast of
the system parameters for the planning horizon. These forecasts are
usually obtained by current values of the parameters and a certain
growth factor. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that quality of the
planning process is quit sensitive to the future value of the system
parameters obtained by foresting. Considering this fact that any
forecasting method involves some degrees of inherent error, planning
outcomes may no longer work properly in the real-life systems. In other
word, inherent uncertainties in the system parameters in the future like
load demand, renewable resources generation, electric vehicles pene-
tration, and so on may influence planning quality significantly.
Uncertainty management methods are useful tools to address this
issue. Therefore, uncertainty management methods are exercised by
the authors in the ESS planning problem in the distribution networks.
In this context various methods are used to handle inherent uncer-
tainty in the system parameters including load, renewable generation
(wind and PV), PEV, and characteristics of the ESS systems
[27,28,30,32–35,39–45]. The most used methods are probabilistic
power flow and optimal power flow [27,28,30,32,33,42,43], Monte-
Carlo methods [27,28,30,32,41], point estimate methods [33,42],
stochastic programming [34,35,44,45], chance-constrained program-
ming [40,41], fuzzy logic [43], and factor analysis method [43].
Table 6 presents a summary of the abovementioned explanations
about power flow models, model types, solution methods, and un-
certainty management methods for the problem in hand. In this table
and in column “model”, B,U, LP, and NLP refer to balanced load flow,
unbalance load flow, linear programming model, and nonlinear
programming model, respectively.
4.3. Future works
In the context of the network models, solution methods, and
uncertainty management of the problem the following recommenda-
tion can be targeted as future works.
– Developing new detailed linear network models, i.e. augmented DC
models or approximated AC models, can help to find optimal
solution for realistic and real-life networks with many buses without
divergence concerns.
– Unbalance models of the network for single-phase ESS planning are
not addressed yet. Addressing this issue is the key factor to exploit
the application of the single-phase ESS to reduce network unbalance
[94]
– New methods of uncertainty management like risk aversion [95] or
robust optimization [96] can be utilized to better capture the
inherent uncertainties in the problem.
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 79 (2017) 1108–1121
5. Conclusion remarks
The problem of the ESS planning in distribution networks has been
gained an increasing attention by the researchers in the past decade.
Reviewing the current state of the research in this field can potentially
ease future works by classifications of the problem components and
offering research gaps. This is done in the current work by collecting
related high quality research papers. Then, the works are classified
based on the used energy storage technologies and models, considered
applications for the storage systems and associated objective functions,
network modeling, solution methods, and uncertainty management of
the problem. Each section is equipped with relevant future works for
those who are interested in the field. Considering broad scope of the
applications and benefits of the ESSs in distribution networks, it is
expected that in the future, new and more research works will be
published where this work can constitute a roadmap.
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