Voltage stability improvement in distribution networks by using soft open points

The integration of renewable energies is gaining popularity as a result of their sustainability and green nature. On the other hand, aged power infrastructure not only has various issues in accommodating such resources, but also poses risks to the distribution network operation. To this aim, soft open points (SOPs) can be used for supporting distribution networks. Although SOP has been used for different purposes, the potential of SOP for increasing the voltage stability entails further study. As a result, an efficient strategy for the operation of SOPs in distribution networks is developed in this study, which considers the voltage stability index as an objective function. The developed framework is optimized using the particle swarm optimization method, which takes network, resource, and other technical limitations into account. The uncertainties of loads and renewable energies are also modeled through the scenario-based method. The suggested approach is tested on an IEEE standard distribution network under two conditions, comprising the normal and fault situations. After analyzing the various case studies and experiments, the effectiveness and applicability are verified accordingly. The findings show that SOP has a significant impact on improving voltage stability of distribution networks, throughout the normal and fault conditions.