Optimal capacitor placements in distribution systems. I. A new formulation and the overall problem

A novel formulation of the general capacitor placement problem taking into consideration practical aspects of capacitors, the load constraints, and the operational constraints at different load levels is presented. This formulation is a combinatorial optimization problem with a nondifferentiable objective function. A solution methodology based on an optimization technique (simulated annealing) is proposed to determine the locations where capacitors are to be installed, the types and sizes of capacitors to be installed, and the control settings of these capacitors at different load levels. The solution methodology can offer the global optimal solution for the general capacitor placement problem