Abstract—Congestion in the form of voltage and overloading problems can be challenging due to the high penetration of distributed generations (DGs) in the distribution network, especially in low-demand scenarios. This paper proposes a techno-economic based two-stage optimization method to manage congestion in such conditions. First, the reconfiguration method optimizes the network configuration. The results show a significant reduction in congestion. If voltage and current constraints are still violated, using the achieved configuration, the second stage including direct load control (DLC) of flexible demands begins. Then, the cost of implementing DLC and the amount of constraint violations are minimized simultaneously. This substantiates that altering flexible demands can effectively improve bus voltages. Multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) is used, and a Pareto front is generated. The method functionality is tested on the 33-bus IEEE system regarding predicted load-generation data for a scenario during a congested hour as a day-ahead forecast.
