Ant colony optimization and analysis of time step resolution in transmission expansion computations for wind power integration

Abstract

This paper investigates the necessary time step resolution in a transmission expansion planning algorithm based on ant colony optimization. A maximal and efficient wind power integration is the main motivation for the grid expansion, which requires a planning tool dealing with wind energy fluctuations. For the analysis a power system model for the Nordic area is used, including a wind power production scenario for 2030. A comparison of simulation results with different time step resolutions, including average and peak values for wind power production, is presented in this paper.