Optimal Location of FACTS Devices in Order to Simultaneously Improving Transmission Losses and Stability Margin Using Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm

It is not possible to use the full capacity of the transmission lines due to voltage limitations and stability issues. Therefore, compensators must be used to improve the transmission line capacity. One of the suggested ways for this purpose is to use flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) devices in the power system. The various capabilities of the FACTS devices have made it possible to set different targets to determine their optimal location and position. Some of the most important placement targets include increasing voltage stability, improving voltage profiles, reducing losses, increasing line capacity limit and reducing fuel costs for power plants through optimal power distribution. In this paper, optimal locating of FACTS devices to improve power system stability and transmission line losses reduction. Also, artificial bee colony algorithm is proposed for solving optimization problem. The artificial bee colony algorithm with high accuracy and high convergence speed is suitable for conducting FACTS placement studies. Finally, a comparison was made between the artificial bee colony algorithm and genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The results indicate that the artificial bee colony algorithm works better than the other algorithms in minimizing the fitness function.