Techno-Economic Analysis of Electricity Networks with Renewable Energy Sources and Storage Devices

Owing to inherent cost-effectiveness, distribution networks are traditionally designed to operate radially to cater to the load demand of typical residential, commercial, and industrial customers. In recent times, there is increased penetration of renewable energy generators into distribution networks. Consequently, there are three main impediments to this paradigm shift: (i) the intrinsic variability of renewable energy sources, and the frailty of using the non-zero correlation between them and loads for variability mitigation, (ii) increased vulnerability to faults, and (iii) increased penetration of the inertia-less converter-interfaced generators. This thesis addresses a few aspects of these three challenges faced and correspondingly it is divided into three parts. In Part I of the thesis, the sizing and operation of distributed generators and storage devices have been discussed to mitigate the effects of variability. In Part IIA, reserve requirement and allowable delay in reserve provision are discussed to increase system resilience against temporary faults. Part IIB of the thesis focuses on policies of procuring voltage sag mitigation devices and sharing their cost among customers.