DISTRAPLAN: A flexible tool for strategical planning of electrical distribution systems considering distributed generation

The paper here presented describes and shows DISTRAPLAN (Distribution Strategical Planning), software tool for strategical planning of distribution networks at Medium and Low voltage. The software aims at the identification and comparison of network configurations, optimized in the long term with identification of special features in relation to the main technical-economical-environmental aspects, such as: the number of HV/MV and MV/LV substations, total length of the MV and LV lines and relevant sections, maximum required energy and power, installation and losses costs, etc. DISTRAPLAN, in both the main procedures into which it is articulated (strategical planning and evaluation of the minimum consistency of the networks) uses heuristic optimization algorithms, namely genetic algorithms suitably adapted to treat the problem at hand.