Power Loss Reduction by Utilizing Capacitor Bank at Strategic Location with Optimum Sizing Using PSO

The research paper explores the optimal placement of capacitors in 33-bus radial distribution systems to decrease power losses and voltage deviations. The growing demand for electricity from domestic and commercial sources has led to an increase in problems related to power loss and voltage deviation. To maintain acceptable voltage levels and minimize power losses, capacitive reactive power is necessary. By strategically placing capacitors within distribution networks, these issues can be effectively resolved. The utilization of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) is employed in this paper to solve the optimization problem of determining the best size and position of capacitors in the distribution network for minimizing power losses. Therefore, a streamlined strategy is necessary to address this issue. Two approaches are employed to tackle this problem: one focuses on finding the best location, while the other focuses solely on determining appropriate sizes for the capacitors. The effectiveness of the two methods is compared in this study. One method involves calculating losses under off-peak and peak load conditions. In contrast, the other method consists of observing the impacts on system losses when different numbers of capacitors are placed under various loading conditions. Simulations are performed in MATLAB to compare the results of both approaches, including the system losses. The propose method is useful for distribution owner to control the losses.