Optimal Location of Distributed Generation and its Impacts on Voltage Stability

Abstract

Current methods for generating power use a variety of conventional central power plants (nuclear, thermal or water) with high capacity. These plants rely on burning coal or oil and other natural resources, lead to major environmental and health disturbances. In addition, the transfer of power generated to distant places via transmission lines to reach the consumers causes large power losses and requires the construction of high-cost transmission lines. To minimize these impacts and to improve reliability and the quality of feed power and to reduce losses, small generating units, with capacities ranging from 1 kW to a few megawatts, can be installed in distribution networks near end consumers, called Distributed Generation (DG). Distributed generation technology relies primarily on clean renewable energies and can include traditional sources. This research introduces an explanation about distributed generation, that the traditional distribution network IEEE-33 bus was modeled by using the Power System Analysis Toolbox (PSAT) in MATLAB. Generating units were added in the optimum locations using Continuation Power Flow (CPF) to convert them into an active distribution network. The results show the positive effect of the proposed distributed generation on voltage and losses.