This paper presents a Monte Carlo approach for reliability assessment of distribution systems with distributed generation using parallel computing. The calculations are carried out with a royalty-free power flow simulator, OpenDSS (Open Distribution System Simulator). The procedure has been implemented in an environment in which OpenDSS is driven from MATLAB. The test system is an overhead distribution system represented by means of a three-phase model that includes protective devices. The paper details the implemented procedure, which can be applied to systems with or without distributed generation, includes an illustrative case study and summarizes the results derived from the analysis of the test system during one year. The goal is to evaluate the test system performance considering different scenarios with different level of system automation and reconfiguration, and assess the impact that distributed photovoltaic generation can have on that performance. Several reliability indices, including those related to the impact of distributed generation, are obtained for every scenario.

This study presents the work carried out by the authors to apply Intel MKL PARDISO (a parallel sparse matrix solver) to the load flow solution algorithms of MATPOWER and OpenDSS. The goal is to explore the potential execution time reduction obtained when working with large power systems and multi‐core installations. Test systems of different sizes were solved in order to observe the time reduction as function of the system size and the number of cores used in the parallel execution. Results show that except for the full Newton–Raphson algorithm, one should not expect a reduction in execution times when using a parallel routine. The use of a parallel sparse matrix solver is only justified when the sparse matrix must be recalculated at every step of the solution process or the systems under study are much larger than those analysed here. This study also presents how a parallel computing solution can be implemented in different applications by using available high‐performance parallel libraries.

The connection of distributed energy resources (i.e., distributed generation and energy storage) and some special loads (e.g., electrical vehicle) raises new challenges in distribution system analysis. Intermittent and non-dispatchable generation units, time-dependent or asymmetrical loads require capabilities that until very recently were not available in distribution software packages; for instance, capabilities for probabilistic and time mode simulations. This paper presents the work made by the authors to adapt OpenDSS, a freely available distribution simulator, in order to perform these types of studies taking into account that the model of an actual distribution system is usually very large and complex. A goal of the paper is to present the usage of OpenDSS as either a stand-alone tool or as a COM DLL driven from MATLAB. Several applications have been developed to obtain yearly curve shapes aimed at representing time-varying loads and renewable energy sources (sun, wind) and to run OpenDSS in a distributed computing environment (e.g., multicore installation).