Accelerated Voltage Regulation in Multi-Phase Distribution Networks Based on Hierarchical Distributed Algorithm

We propose a hierarchical distributed algorithm to solve optimal power flow (OPF) problems that aim at dispatching controllable distributed energy resources (DERs) for voltage regulation at minimum cost. The proposed algorithm features unprecedented scalability to large multi-phase distribution networks by jointly exploring the tree/subtrees structure of a large radial distribution network and the structure of the linearized distribution power flow (LinDistFlow) model to derive a hierarchical, distributed implementation of the primal-dual gradient algorithm that solves OPF. The proposed implementation significantly reduces the computation loads compared to the centrally coordinated implementation of the same primal-dual algorithm without compromising optimality. Numerical results on a 4,521-node test feeder show that the designed algorithm achieves more than 10-fold acceleration in the speed of convergence compared to the centrally coordinated primal-dual algorithm through reducing and distributing computational loads.