Distribution Generation and Capacitor Placement in Distribution Systems

Abstract

Distribution systems form a critical part of the power system by linking the consumer to the transmission system. Distribution systems are extensive, complex and require adequate planning to ensure reliability and reduce installation and operation cost generated by both voltage instability and network power loss. High power losses and voltage instability are the main challenges facing power distribution companies. These challenges are mitigated by capacitor and distributed generation placement in the distribution network. The effectiveness of these measures is greatly dependent on optimally placing and sizing these components within the distribution network and also, how their operation is coordinated. Due to the complexity of the distribution networks, planning of placement becomes a complex task. It therefore requires network planners to develop methods that optimally place capacitors and distributed generations (DGs) in distribution networks. In this paper a novel way of DG and capacitor placement is proposed. The method uses Voltage Stability Index to find the optimal location of DGs and Capacitors. Evolutionary programming algorithm is employed to determine the sizes of the DGs and Capacitors to be placed at the identified locations. The aim is to enhance the voltage stability of the radial distribution network. This method is tested on the IEEE-33 bus radial distribution network. Simulation is carried out in MATLAB. Keywords— Capacitor Placement, Distributed Generation, Evolutionary Programming, Voltage Stability