Effects of switch type and location on the reliability of power distribution systems considering distributed generation

The type and location of switches are expected to play a key role on the reliability improvement of power distribution systems. In this paper, the value of circuit breaker installed as a protective and automated device is quantified in terms of its contribution to the reliability improvement of an industrial distribution network. In addition, the values of placing distributed generation (DG) at various locations, as well as the impact of high penetration of DGs, are presented. The description of the proposed approach is carried out using an IEEE RBTS test system. Several case studies are considered to verify the accuracy of the proposed approach. The results presented in the paper verified that the proposed strategy is able to enhance the reliability of the power distribution systems especially when DGs are included.