Performance Enhancement of Passive Distribution Network by optimal deployment of Distributed Generation

Traditionally used power plants transmit electricity over long distances to substations. The end-users accept electric power from the sub-station via passive networks. These networks are radial type distribution networks and fed by only one substation i.e., no alternative for back up. Thus, in Radial Distribution System (RDS), electric power flows unidirectionally and due to high R/X ratios, problems arise like low voltage stability, large voltage drops and large power losses. Under severe loading conditions, issues like voltage collapse also appears. A viable solution is to deploy DG in the distribution networks, but DG requires proper installation to optimize the appropriate site and size of it. Numerous methods are used in the past by the authors for DG placements. Among all, the meta-heuristic techniques, like Genetic Algorithm (GA) and other applicable techniques are rapid and alteration can be simply done. Only a single optimization technique cannot solve all type of optimization problems. Their performance varies from problem to problem. There is always a need to test different optimization techniques for various practical engineering problems. GA and Modified African Buffalo Optimization (MABO) techniques for optimized DG allocation pursued in this article. Both these algorithms are validated on benchmark 33 bus RDS. The objective functions are minimization of active power losses and node voltage deviation in the passive distribution network. The various solution techniques applicable for the solution of DG integration in distribution system are discussed and compared with the results obtained in this paper.