Scenario-Free Uncertainty-Aware DLMP-Based Bilevel Coordination of EV Charging and Reactive Power Support in Distribution Networks

Abstract

This paper develops a scenario-free uncertainty-aware bilevel optimization framework for coordinated electric vehicle (EV) charging and reactive power support in distribution networks using distribution locational marginal prices (DLMPs). The upper-level EV aggregator jointly schedules active and reactive charging power to minimize charging costs, while the lower-level energy management system performs network-constrained economic dispatch and determines DLMPs subject to feeder and voltage constraints. To capture uncertainties in load demand and photovoltaic (PV) generation, a compact robust counterpart (RC) reformulation is developed that avoids the computational burden of large-scale stochastic programming and conventional robust optimization. Unlike existing robust counterpart methods that primarily assume Gaussian uncertainties, the proposed approach derives a deterministic reformulation for net-demand uncertainty modeled by a normal-minus-beta distribution, providing a more realistic representation of asymmetric load and renewable variability. An exactness lemma preserves the economic interpretation of DLMPs after KKT reformulation and Big-M linearization. EV chargers also provide reactive power support through non-unity power factor operation to improve voltage regulation. Simulation results on the IEEE 33-bus distribution system demonstrate improved voltage security, effective uncertainty-aware EV coordination, and significantly lower computational complexity than conventional stochastic and robust optimization approaches.