Reconfiguration of Electric Power Distribution Systems: Comprehensive Review and Classification

Distribution systems play an important role, delivering the electric power of generation system to individual consumers. Distribution system reconfiguration (DSR) is a large-scale combinatorial optimization problem. For the last 45 years, the DSR problem has been widely studied; nowadays, DSR, combined with new challenges, is being highly investigated, as researchers aim to reach a better solution. This paper presents a complete review and classification of the most significant works to date, providing a literary framework for DSR specialists. A categorization of solution methods, case studies, and novelties of the most relevant works regarding DSR are provided. In order to establish a complete background, not only traditional approaches, but also those involving uncertainty, reliability, electricity market, power quality, distributed generation, capacitor placement, and switching time in DSR are highlighted. This framework can help researches to improve previous formulations and methods and can propose more efficient models to better exploit the existing infrastructure.