Robust distribution network reconfiguration

We propose a two-stage robust optimization model for the distribution network reconfiguration problem with load uncertainty. The first-stage decision is to configure the radial distribution network and the second-stage decision is to find the optimal a/c power flow of the reconfigured network for given demand realization. We solve the two-stage robust model by using a column-and-constraint generation algorithm, where the master problem and subproblem are formulated as mixed-integer second-order cone programs. Computational results for 16, 33, 70, and 94-bus test cases are reported. We find that the configuration from the robust model does not compromise much the power loss under the nominal load scenario compared to the configuration from the deterministic model, yet it provides the reliability of the distribution system for all scenarios in the uncertainty set.