Exact Convex Relaxation for Optimal Power Flow in Distribution Networks

Abstract

The optimal power flow (OPF) problem seeks to control the power generation/consumption to minimize the generation cost, and is becoming important for distribution networks. OPF is nonconvex and a second-order cone programming (SOCP) relaxation has been proposed to solve it. We prove that after a "small" modification to OPF, the SOCP relaxation is exact under a "mild" condition. Empirical studies demonstrate that the modification to OPF is "small" and that the "mild" condition holds for all test networks, including the IEEE 13-bus test network and practical networks with high penetration of distributed generation.

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