Capacitor allocation by approximate reasoning: fuzzy capacitor placement

The problem of capacitor allocation in electric distribution systems involves maximizing energy and peak power (demand) loss reductions by means of capacitor installations. This paper presents a novel approach using approximate reasoning to determine suitable candidate nodes in a distribution system for capacitor placement. Voltages and power loss reduction indices of distribution system nodes are modeled by fuzzy membership functions. A fuzzy expert system (FES) containing a set of heuristic rules is then used to determine the capacitor placement suitability of each node in the distribution system. Capacitors are placed on the nodes with the highest suitability. Simulation results show the advantages of this approach over previous capacitor placement algorithms.