A Data-Driven Voltage Control Strategy for Distribution Grids With Distributed Energy Resources

Wang, Jiyu [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]; Chang, Chin-Yao [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]; Padullaparti, Harsha [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]; Munankarmi, Prateek [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000165003681); Mendoza, Ismael [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000179504049); Saraswat, Govind [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]; Prabakar, Kumaraguru [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000229620743); Veda, Santosh [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]

doi:10.1109/tpwrs.2025.3580054

DOE OSTI · 2574726

A Data-Driven Voltage Control Strategy for Distribution Grids With Distributed Energy Resources

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Abstract

Traditionally, distribution system control approaches have been model-based. The deployment of advanced metering infrastructure has provided electric utilities with the capability of data-driven control with real-time measurements. The shift from model-based to data-driven control represents a significant advancement in the management of distribution systems, offering a more adaptive approach to system control because of the ability to dynamically adapt to changing conditions without the need for system modeling. Here, in this paper, a behavioral data-driven control method is developed to provide voltage regulation to an actual distribution system by controlling the legacy devices and distributed energy resource (DER) assets. The studied distribution system has a load tap changer and three capacitor banks as the legacy devices and photovoltaic systems as the DERs. The performance of the proposed control algorithm is validated using a laboratory test bed setup considering multiple scenarios. The results show that the proposed control achieved 99% voltage regulation.

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Wang, Jiyu [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)], Chang, Chin-Yao [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)], Padullaparti, Harsha [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)], Munankarmi, Prateek [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000165003681), Mendoza, Ismael [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000179504049), Saraswat, Govind [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)], Prabakar, Kumaraguru [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000229620743), Veda, Santosh [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]. 2025-06-24. A Data-Driven Voltage Control Strategy for Distribution Grids With Distributed Energy Resources. https://doi.org/10.1109/tpwrs.2025.3580054

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