Impact of optimal location, size and number of distributed generation units on the performance of radial distribution systems

Abstract

This paper presents the optimal location, size and number of different types of distributed generation (DG) units in distribution systems. The main objective is to minimize the total power losses by optimal location and size of two types of DG units considering the voltage limits and the lines' transfer capacities. Also, the effect of increasing number of DG units is presented according to the power factor of the substation and the voltage profile of the system. Moreover, solutions to improve the performance of the system in case of using DG units which supply active power only are suggested. This optimization problem can be classified as a mixed-integer nonlinear problem which is difficult to solve by classical optimization techniques. The Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used as an optimization technique and backward / forward sweep (BFS) method is applied as a load flow technique. The IEEE 69-bus radial distribution system is used to test the effectiveness of the proposed models.