An efficient BBO algorithm for optimal allocation and sizing of shunt capacitors in radial distribution networks

Abstract

Shunt capacitors placement is addressed in this paper. A cost based model to find the optimal size and location of shunt capacitors in a power distribution networks is proposed in which the objective is to minimize the total annual cost function of capacitor placement and power losses. Biogeography-Based Optimization (BBO) algorithm is adopted in this work to minimize the cost function while satisfying system constraints. The proposed method is applied to 10, 15, 34 and 69-bus radial distribution networks and the obtained results are compared to previous reported results.