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Current trends in electrification of the final energy consumption and towards a massive electricity production from renewables are leading a revolution in the electric distribution system. Indeed, the traditional "fit & forget" planning approach used by Distributors would entail a huge amount of network investment. Therefore, for making these trends economically sustainable, the concept of Smart Distribution Network has been proposed, based on active management of the system and the exploitation of flexibility services provided by Distributed Energy Resources. However, the uncertainties associated to this innovation are holding its acceptance by utilities. For increasing their confidence, new risk-based planning tools are necessary, able to estimate the residual risk connected with each choice and identify solutions that can gradually lead to a full Smart Distribution Network implementation. Battery energy storage systems, owned and operated by Distributors, represent one of these solutions, since they can support the use of local flexibility services by covering part of the associated uncertainties. The paper presents a robust approach for the optimal exploitation of these flexibility services with a simultaneous optimal allocation of storage devices. For each solution, the residual risk is estimated, making this tool ready for its integration within a risk-based planning procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European strategic long-term vision underlined the importance of a smarter and flexible system for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Distributed energy resources (DERs) could provide the required flexibility products. Distribution system operators (DSOs) cooperating with TSO (transmission system operators) are committed to procuring these flexibility products through market-based procedures. Among all DERs, battery energy storage systems (BESS) are a promising technology since they can be potentially exploited for a broad range of purposes. However, since their cost is still high, their size and location should be optimized with a view of maximizing the revenues for their owners. Intending to provide an instrument for the assessment of flexibility products to be shared between DSO and TSO to ensure a safe and secure operation of the system, the paper proposes a planning methodology based on the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II). Contrasting objectives, as the maximization of the BESS owners' revenue and the minimization of the DSO risk inherent in the use of the innovative solutions, can be considered by identifying trade-off solutions. The proposed model is validated by applying the methodology to a real Italian medium voltage (MV) distribution network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]