Technical and optimization insights into PV penetration in power distribution systems-based wild horse algorithm: Real cases on Egyptian networks

• Analyzes PV penetration impacts on power losses and voltage stability in EDFs. • Investigates PV systems under unity and varying power factor operation modes. • Develops Wild Horse Optimizer (WHO) for optimal PV placement and sizing. • Compares WHO with GWO, ARO, and PSO, demonstrating superior performance. • Considers solar radiation uncertainties using probabilistic Beta PDF models. • Provides a practical framework for planning PV-integrated power distribution. The integration of Photovoltaic systems (PVSs) into Electrical Distribution Feeders (EDFs) is gaining popularity as a sustainable energy solution. This study evaluates the best locations for PVSs in two practical EDFs in Egypt's Abu Al-Maati and Qaha Nawa at Qalyubia governorate. The research is conducted in two phases, emphasizing the technical impacts of PV penetration and the optimization of PV placement and size. Firstly, the technical implications of PVS placement are investigated by assessing the influence of PV penetration on active and reactive system losses, as well as voltage profiles. In this regard, two modes of operation of PVSs are addressed where they have the capability to inject only active/reactive powers via either operating at unity Power Factor (PF) or varying PFs. Simulation results highlight significant improvements in voltage profile and loss reduction with increased penetration levels and reactive power support. However, the analysis declares that one PVS is not sufficient to correct the voltage profile for the Qaha Nawa Egyptian system, and it requires further enhancements. Therefore, the second phase is dedicated to developing an efficient Wild Horse Optimizer (WHO) for optimizing the placement, sizing, and number of PV installations, analyzing hourly load variations and solar radiation uncertainties modeled through probabilistic distribution functions. The results demonstrate the superior performance of WHO compared to other techniques achieving notable reductions in active/reactive losses and enhanced voltage regulation, providing a practical and efficient framework for planning PV-integrated EDFs.