Allocation of Power-Quality Monitors Using the P-Median to Identify Nontechnical Losses

This study sets out to develop a procedure that enables monitors to be allocated that are able to estimate values of voltage and current of a circuit. Taking the importance of the load as a starting point, this paper puts forward a model for allocating power-quality monitors in distribution systems based on the P-median model. As a first step, by using an improved model that already exists, the fewest number of monitors which guarantee the observability of the system is obtained. Then, the modified P-median model is applied which incorporates a constraint in order to allocate monitors in accordance with the importance of the load, which is considered as the volume of the load to tackle nontechnical losses. A model such as this is required especially when dealing with nontechnical losses, which can be one of the main causes of undervoltage, thereby affecting the quality of the service. The proposed model was applied in a real distribution network considering the importance of the load throughout the distribution system.