Shunt capacitor sizing for radial distribution feeders with distorted substation voltages

An algorithm for optimizing shunt capacitor sizes on radial distribution lines with nonsinusoidal substation voltages such that the RMS voltages and their corresponding total harmonic distortion lie within prescribed values is presented. The problem is formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem with inequality constraints. A simple heuristic numerical algorithm that is based on the method of local variations is proposed to determine an optimal solution. An example shows that optimal capacitor sizes found by neglecting the harmonic components may result in unacceptable voltage distortion levels