Power loss minimization in RDS with optimal DG placement and sizing using PSO

Abstract

The rapid growth in electricity demand and the increasing penetration of distributed energy resources have highlighted the need for efficient and reliable power distribution systems. Radial distribution system (RDS) face critical challenges, namely high-power losses and poor voltage profiles, exacerbated by growing electricity demand and increased distributed energy resource penetration. A significant challenge in radial distribution networks is the issue of increasing power losses and poor voltage profiles, particularly at nodes distant from the substation. This project focuses on optimizing the placement and sizing distributed generation (DG) units to mitigate active power losses and enhance voltage stability. The study employs Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for its robust global search and computational efficiency. The proposed methodology was tested on two standard radial test systems which are IEEE-33 and IEEE-69 bus networks. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the optimization which for IEEE-33 bus and 69-bus system the optimal integration of four DGs reduced power losses from 210.28 kW and 224kW to 65.94 kW and 67.90kW, representing a 67.47% and 69.82% reduction respectively. The voltage profile also significantly improved, rising from a minimum of 0.913 pu and 0.909 pu to 0.971 pu and 0.978 pu respectively. These findings affirm that PSO is an effective and scalable technique for improving the performance of radial distribution systems through strategic DG integration.