A power loss minimization strategy based on optimal placement and sizing of distributed energy resources

Due to the enhanced price of electricity, the gradual depletion of fossil fuels, and the global warming concerns, power loss minimization through deployment of distributed generators (DGs) has attracted significant attention in recent decades. This paper proposes a genetic algorithm (GA) based strategy for minimization of active and reactive power losses through optimal location and size of DGs. It also quantifies and tallies the total network power losses for the cases with random as well as optimal allocation of DGs. To validate the accuracy of the obtained results from GA, another nature-inspired optimization algorithm, cuckoo search, is also deployed. The simulation results on IEEE 30 and 118 bus systems indicate that the proposed strategy not only can effectively reduce the total network active and reactive power losses but also lead to the improvement of network voltage profile.