The penetration of renewable distributed generation
(DG) sources has been increased in active distribution networks
due to their unique advantages. However, non-dispatchable DGs
such as wind turbines raise the risk of distribution networks.
Such a problem could be eliminated using the proper application
of energy storage units. In this paper, optimal planning of batteries in the distribution grid is presented. The optimal planning
determines the location, capacity and power rating of batteries
while minimizing the cost objective function subject to technical
constraints. The optimal long-term planning is based on the
short-term optimal power flow considering the uncertainties. The
point estimate method (PEM) is employed for probabilistic optimal power flow. The batteries are scheduled optimally for several
purposes to maximize the benefits. A hybrid Tabu search/particle
swarm optimization (TS/PSO) algorithm is used to solve the
problem. The numerical studies on a 21-node distribution system
show the advantages of the proposed methodology. The proposed
approach can also be applied to the realistic sized networks when
some sensitive nodes are considered as candidate locations for
installing the storage units.