Active distribution network operation management with large penetration of hybrid electric vehicles and sustainable distributed energy generation

•Optimal operation of active distribution networks under uncertainty is studied.•An efficient multi-objective stochastic optimization method is proposed.•The method evaluates the uncertainty sources, and it offers optimal operational scenarios to the network’s decision maker. The unprecedented growth of technological advances, industrialization and sophisticated urbanization have contributed to a staggering proliferation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and renewable energy sources (RESs) in transportation and electric power distribution systems. As a result, the nature of optimal distribution network operation is ever-changing due to the dramatic uncertainty in the increased energy supply and demand caused by large integration of these emerging technologies into the systems. This study proposes a synergistic approach for boosting power system operation performance in sustainable distribution networks considering renewable power generation and high integration of PHEVs, using multi-objective stochastic optimization and probabilistic analysis techniques. To this end, distribution network reconfiguration and evolutionary optimization schemes are deployed, and a probabilistic multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) system based on point estimate method is developed, considering stochastic correlation between distributed energy generation sources. The results obtained along with the performance appraisal observations, indicate the effectiveness of the proposed method in sustainable active distribution network operation management in their entirety.