Location and Sizing of Distributed Generation Units for Loadabilty Enhancement in Primary Feeder

Limitations of generation, transmission, and distribution of reactive power have significant impact on voltage stability of electric power systems. Moreover, the location and size of a distributed generation (DG) unit that alters reactive power flow and its path in a radial distribution network can also have a substantial influence on voltage stability. Therefore, this paper proposes an optimization methodology for identifying proper location and size of DG units in a primary distribution system to enhance the loadability of distribution system by improving static voltage stability. The optimization is implemented with the help of a particle swam optimization technique for four types of DG units. The proposed methodology is tested in two standard radial distribution test systems and one practical radial distribution of Lào Cai province, Vietnam. Results show the importance of selecting the location and sizes of DG units for enhancing the loadability of the primary distribution feeder.