Load Flow Analysis in Smart Grids

Load flow analysis is widely used to estimate the flow of various electrical parameters such as the voltage, current, and power in power grids. These estimates allow us to effectively and reliably manage the given grid under random and uncertain conditions. Given the enormous amount of randomness and uncertainties in the factors that affect the smart grids, compared to traditional power grids, a complete and rigorous load flow analysis holds a vital role in ensuring the reliability of this safety-critical domain. In this chapter, the authors describe smart grids in terms of their basic components and then categorize the factors that affect the loads in smart grids. This is followed by a comprehensive survey of various existing load flow analysis techniques (i.e., numerical, computational intelligence, and probabilistic).