NETWORK-AWARE COMPOSITE SCORING FOR QUANTIFYING DEMAND-SIDE FLEXIBILITY IN DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

Abstract

The rapid growth of renewable energy in distribution networks has created new technical challenges for network operation. High penetration of distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation can cause voltage problems, thermal stress, and increased power losses, especially in feeders that were not originally designed for bidirectional power flow. At the same time, demand-side flexibility (DSF) is becoming an attractive alternative to costly network reinforcement, since it can help distribution system operators (DSOs) manage these challenges by adjusting demand in time. This makes it increasingly important to propose a robust and reliable network scoring methodology that can evaluate flexibility potential and help in network planning and operation. Although existing literature has proposed composite scoring methods for distribution networks, several research gaps remain. Many studies rely on a single technical indicator, such as voltage or hosting capacity, which does not capture the trade-offs between different network constraints. Other studies that use composite indices often depend on subjective weighting methods, which reduce transparency and reproducibility. This thesis proposes a network-aware composite network scoring framework that addresses these gaps. The proposed method differs from previous work by combining multiple technical indicators in a single score, assigning their weights objectively using the improved entropy weight method (IEWM), and embedding network topology into the evaluation through power flow betweenness (PFB) based criticality weighting. The framework incorporates five indicators; over-voltage deviation, under-voltage deviation, energy losses, current capacity index, and renewable hosting capacity. Structural weighting is applied using branch and nodal power flow betweenness, and robustness is checked through capped-entropy and equal-weight sensitivity tests. The framework is applied to the IEEE 69-bus radial distribution test system under a 24-hour operating horizon with distributed PV integration and five flexibility scenarios. The results show that the ranking of scenarios remains unchanged across standard entropy, capped entropy, and equal weights, confirming the robustness of the method. The load-shifting scenario (S4) achieves the best overall performance, while the aggressive curtailment scenario (S3) ranks last. This shows that flexibility valuation is highly sensitive to the request type and design. From a policy perspective, the findings suggest that the proposed network scoring methodology can help DSOs identify where flexibility is most valuable, compare different flexibility strategies more reliably, and support emerging local flexibility markets with clearer technical evidence.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering