  In this paper, we formulate optimization problems to perform optimal
transmission switching (OTS) in order to operate power transmission grids most
efficiently. In any given electrical network, several of the transmission lines
are generally equipped with switches, circuit breakers, and/or reclosers. The
conventional practice is to operate the grid using a static or fixed
configuration. However, it may be beneficial to dynamically reconfigure the
grid through switching actions in order to respond to real-time demand and
supply conditions. This has the potential to help reduce costs and improve
efficiency. Furthermore, such OTS may be more crucial in future power grids
with much higher penetrations of renewable energy sources, which introduce more
variability and intermittency in generation. Similarly, OTS can potentially
help mitigate the effects of unpredictable demand fluctuations (e.g. due to
extreme weather). We explored and compared several different formulations for
the OTS problems in terms of computational performance and optimality. I also
applied them to small transmission test case networks as a proof of concept to
see what the effects of applying OTS are.
