A review of capacitor placement techniques for loss reduction in primary feeders on distribution systems

The application of capacitors to electric power systems can be used for: (1) the control of power flow; (2) the improvement of stability; (3) voltage profile management; (4) power factor correction; and (5) loss minimization. The application of capacitors for loss minimization has been of interest to distribution engineers for several years, and as such a variety of techniques and procedures have been devised. This paper presents a review of techniques and procedures of capacitor application for loss minimization, spanning three decades. The procedures determine the location size and quantity of capacitors to be allocated to distribution primary feeders subject to a variety of constraints, most importantly minimization of losses.