Abstract
The solar power penetration in distribution grids is growing fast during the last years, particularly at the low-voltage (LV) level, which introduces new challenges when operating distribution grids. Across the world, distribution system operators (DSO) are developing the smart grid concept, and one key tool for this new paradigm is solar power forecasting. This paper presents a new spatial-temporal forecasting method based on the vector autoregression framework, which combines observations of solar generation collected by smart meters and distribution transformer controllers. The scope is 6-h-ahead forecasts at the residential solar photovoltaic and medium-voltage (MV)/LV substation levels. This framework has been tested in the smart grid pilot of vora, Portugal, and using data from 44 microgeneration units and 10 MV/LV substations. A benchmark comparison was made with the autoregressive forecasting model (AR-univariate model) leading to an improvement on average between 8% and 10%.

Abstract
This paper offers an efficient and robust concept for a decentralized bad data processing, able to supply in real-time a power system state estimator with a repaired measurement set. Corrupted measurement vectors are funneled through a denoising auto-associative neural network in order to project the biased vector back to the data manifold learned during an offline training process. In order to improve accuracy, a maximum similarity with the solution manifold, measured with Correntropy, is searched for by a meta-heuristic. The extreme robustness and scalability of the process is demonstrated in multiple characteristic case studies.

Abstract
Optimization problems in electric power systems under high levels of uncertainty have been solved using stochastic programming methods for years. This is especially the case for medium-term problems and systems with a large share of hydro storages. The increased uncertainty in power system operation coming from volatile renewables has made the stochastic techniques interesting in shorter time frames as well. In the stochastic models the uncertainty is typically included by a discretized set of scenarios. This increases the computational burden significantly so a common approach is to preprocess and reduce the number of scenarios. Scenario reduction methods have been shown to function relatively well in expected value stochastic optimization. However, such setting of stochastic optimization is often criticized as being risk-prone so other risk-averse models exist. The evolutionary computation algorithms' flexibility permits the implementation of these risk models with relative simplicity. In this paper, a population-based evolutionary computation algorithm is applied to unit commitment problem under uncertainty and the paper illustrates several approaches to including risk policies in an evolutionary algorithm fitness function and illustrates its flexibility along with the link between scenario reduction similarity metric and risk policy.

Abstract
Power transformers are important equipment of a substation from the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity to end users. The costs associated with purchasing a power transformer in the voltage class of 500 kV (100 MVA) are a few million. The fines imposed by regulatory agencies are significant when there is unavailability of equipment for any defect or failure. Therefore, energy companies have been struggling in preventive and predictive maintenance in order to maintain this equipment in an effective maintenance program, avoiding the occurrence of failures. There are various techniques that are utilized for diagnosis and analysis of transformer failure, but little has been discussed about mechanisms that assist in decision making when it is necessary to overload the transformer, especially in emergency situations. In this paper, we present a framework that unifies the step of fault diagnosis of power transformers with the process of decision making, considering the current operating conditions as well as the life of the equipment. The assistance to the decision-making methodology is based on risk analysis with indicators derived from the failure rate and Arrhenius theory. The validation of the method is performed with a case study using data from a utility.

Abstract
In the smart grid environment, reserve services (RS) are also expected from the demand side, taking into account the flexibility and availability of loads connected into the grid. This paper proposes a method to calculate the availability of thermal domestic loads for the provision of upward RS, considering some aspects regarding the constructive characteristics of the appliances, as well as the consumer habits and comfort preferences. A case study comprising 500 consumers with three types of domestic thermal loads (electric water heaters, air-conditioners, and refrigerators) will be used to illustrate the method.

Abstract
The smart grid concept increases the observability and controllability of the distribution system, which creates conditions for bi-directional control of Distributed Energy Resources (DER). The high penetration of Renewable Energy Resources (RES) in the distribution grid may create technical problems (e.g., voltage problems, branch congestion) in both transmission and distribution systems. The flexibility from DER can be explored to minimize RES curtailment and increase its hosting capacity. This paper explores the use of the Monte Carlo Simulation to estimate the flexibility range of active and reactive power at the boundary nodes between transmission and distribution systems, considering the available flexibility at the distribution grid level (e.g., demand response, on-load tap changer transformers). The obtained results suggest the formulation of an optimization problem in order to overcome the limitations of the Monte Carlo Simulation, increasing the capability to find extreme points of the flexibility map and reducing the computational effort.