Fast Iterative Multi-site Hosting Capacity Analysis for Distribution Systems With Search Space Pruning

Interconnection studies for distributed energy resources (DERs) are a time-intensive process, primarily due to the necessity of solving a large number of powerflow scenarios. Hosting capacity analysis (HCA) is a time-consuming aspect of interconnection studies that is divided into single-site HCA (SHCA) and multi-site HCA (MHCA). For computation efficiency, big data nature, and lucidity, the industry seeks iteration-based solutions for HCA despite not maximizing the total DER hosting capacity (DERHC), as MHCA does. In this work, we present a fast, iterative method for MHCA with increased computational efficiency by eliminating the need to solve a multitude of powerflows, thus making iterative solutions feasible. The proposed approach guarantees a global optimal solution and a faster variant to achieve a near-optimal solution. The results are demonstrated on select locations in the IEEE 123-bus system for community-scale interconnection studies. We highlight the benefits of skipping the need to solve millions of powerflows while maximizing the grid’s DERHC.