REDUCING ACTIVE POWER LOSSES WITH OPTIMAL REACTIVE POWER DISPATCH IN 114 BUS NORTHWESTERN ANATOLIAN POWER SYSTEM

Abstract

Aim: In this study, it has been proposed to solve the Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch (ORPD) problem with Genetic Algorithm (GA) in order to minimize the active power losses and voltage fluctuations in the 114 bus Northwestern Anatolian (NWA) power system. Method: The ORPD problem, which is modeled as a nonlinear optimization problem, has been solved by using GA. The ORPD problem has been applied to a large 114 bus power system in Northwestern Anatolia. By solving the ORPD problem, terminal voltages of generators and reactive power values of shunt compensators, which are optimal control variables, have been found. Control variables values to minimize active power losses and voltage fluctuations have been obtained by using GA. Results: The proposed approach has successfully solved the ORPD problem by finding the voltage values of the generators and the sizes of the reactive power sources which are the control variables of the optimization problem. The aim of the ORPD problem is to minimize power losses and to reduce the voltage deviations in the system considering some operational constraints. The proposed approach has been applied to the 114 bus NWA power system and it has been observed that the active power losses are reduced by 4.63% and the bus voltage deviations are decreased from 0.08 to 0.0798 after ORPD. Conclusion: By solving the ORPD problem, active power losses and voltage fluctuations at buses are simultaneously minimized by ensuring that all bus voltages remain within the defined limits in the 114-bus NWA power system. Simulation studies have shown that with the proposed ORPD approach, the bus voltages remain within the specified limits and the active power losses are reduced compared to the first case. The reduction in bus voltage deviations means that the system becomes more stable in terms of stability. Thus, while saving is achieved by increasing the efficiency in the power system, it is also possible to monitor the stability of the system.