A New Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm for Daily Volt/var Control in Distribution Networks Considering Distributed Generators

This paper presents a new approach for daily Volt/VAr control in distribution systems including Distributed Generators (DGs). Since the high R/X ratio of distribution networks, the effects of DGs on Volt/Var control are much more than other equipments. In this paper, a price-based approach is defined to settle on the optimum active and reactive power dispatch for the DGs, the reactive power contribution of the capacitor banks, and the tap settings of the transformers in a day in advance. A hybrid evolutionary algorithm based on combination of differential evolution (DE) and ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms, named ACO-DE, is utilized to solve the daily Volt/Var control which is a non-linear mixed integer problem. The proposed algorithm is tested on two distribution test systems