  This paper proposes an operational scheduling model of distributed energy
resources (DERs) and PV smart inverters with Volt-VAr controller using an
accurate AC optimal power flow (ACOPF) in an unbalanced distribution network. A
mathematical mixed-integer model of local Volt-VAr droop controller of the
distributed mixed-phase PV smart inverters is proposed based on the IEEE
1547-2018 standard and is incorporated in the unbalanced ACOPF, which enables
effective utilization of the Volt-VAr controllers to not only alleviate voltage
issues locally but also at the feeder level. The proposed model is tested on
two actual snapshots of a distribution feeder in Arizona. Also, the proposed
operational scheduling method considering the Volt-VAr droop controller of PV
smart inverters is compared with a recent work in scheduling of the PV smart
inverters. The results illustrate that the PV smart inverters dispatches
obtained by the proposed model can be practically implemented by local
controller of inverters.
