Impact of DGs on the Reactive Power-Supported Optimal EDN for Profit Maximisation

Abstract

Significant issues such as high-Power Loss (PLoss) and drop in node voltages in Electric Distribution Networks (EDNs) can be well mitigated using renowned techniques such as Alteration of Electric Distribution Network Switches (AEDNS), Optimal Capacitor Support (OCS), and Integration of Dispersed Generation (IDG), which are identified as the most economical and efficient approaches. This study presents the optimisation of AEDNS with and without OCS considering four different scenarios to maximise the profit through reduction in PLoss, which is regarded as the first-step process. To further increase profit, IDG was integrated into the EDNs after the combined optimisation of OCS and AEDNS. In this work, Levy Flight Mechanism (LFM) was incorporated into the Seagull Optimisation Algorithm (SOA) and applied to solve the objective function based on economics. The effectiveness of the presented methodology was evaluated and confirmed using a real 59-bus in Cairo, Egypt, EDN, as well as a conventional 33-bus test system. For each scenario, the PLoss reductions and net profit of the proposed methodology were contrasted with those obtained from previously reported approaches. The collected findings show that by optimising AEDNS, OCS, and IDG, the established methodology effectively yields more economic gain for all scenarios.