Optimizing hybrid power networks to facilitate equitable access to electricity

Augmenting central power grid networks with distributed energy systems, such as microgrids, offers new opportunities to maintain equitable access to electricity. This study introduces a novel dual-step sequential optimization method integrated with Monte Carlo simulation to determine the optimal locations for a limited number of distributed energy systems. By strategically placing distributed systems in the grid network, the proposed method seeks to minimize the associations between citizens’ socioeconomic attributes and the likelihood of power outages while strengthening the integrity of the network to balance supply and demand during grid disruptions. To examine the performance of the proposed method, we implemented it in a simulation analysis using the IEEE 136-bus distribution network, where each bus represented a zone in a built environment. For each bus, we defined a set of socioeconomic attributes and the likelihood of power outages in a way that mirrors real-world conditions and replicates correlations observed in previous empirical studies. The results showed that the method could effectively enhance the grid network with a limited number of optimally placed distributed energy systems to considerably reduce the correlations between the power outage likelihood and the socioeconomic attributes to levels that are not statistically significant anymore.