Distributed Generation Allocation for Loss Reduction and Voltage Improvement

The necessity for flexible electric systems, changing regulatory and economic scenarios, energy savings and environmental impact are providing impetus to the development of Distributed Generation (DG), which is predicted to play an increasing role in the electric power system of the near future. Distributed Generation is by definition that which is of limited size (roughly 10 MW or less) and interconnected at the substation, distribution feeder or customer load levels. The DG technologies are entering a period of rapid expansion and commercialization. The increasing load demand may violate the consumer´s voltage permissible limits. While considering the tariff issues, the reduction in losses has a major role to play. With so many problems and so much new Distributed Generation being installed, it is critical that the power system impacts be assessed accurately so that DG can be applied in a manner that avoids causing desired. This paper presents an algorithm for proper Distributed Generation (DG) allocation in distribution systems, in order to minimize the electrical network losses and to guarantee acceptable voltage profile. The optimization process is a load flow base algorithm. The proposed algorithm is tested on a 33 bus test feeder to show the applicability of the method.