Learning Reactive Power Control Polices in Distribution Networks Using Conditional Value-at-Risk and Artificial Neural Networks

Scalable coordination of photovoltaic (PV) inverters, considering the uncertainty in PV and load in distribution networks (DNs), is challenging due to the lack of real-time communications. Decentralized PV inverter setpoints can be achieved to address this issue by capitalizing on the abundance of data from smart utility meters and the scalable architecture of artificial neural networks (ANNs). To this end, we first use an offline, centralized data-driven conservative convex approximation of chance-constrained optimal power flow (CVaR-OPF) in which conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) is used to compute reactive power setpoints of PV inverter, taking into account PV and load uncertainties in DNs. Following that, an artificial neural network (ANN) controller is trained for each PV inverter to emulate the optimal behavior of the centralized control set- points of PV inverter in a decentralized fashion. Additionally, the voltage regulation performance of the developed ANN controllers is compared with other decentralized designs (local controllers) developed using model-based learning (regression-based controller), optimization (affine feedback controller), and case-based learning (mapping) approaches. Numerical tests using real-world feeders corroborate the effectiveness of ANN controllers in voltage regulation and loss minimization.