Reconfiguration of Distribution Networks with Simultaneous Allocation of Distributed Generation Using the Whale Optimization Algorithm

The economic interest in power loss minimization and regulatory requirements regarding voltage levels in distribution systems are considered. In this paper, a computational technique to assist in the optimization of the power losses and voltage characteristic in the steady state through distribution network reconfiguration and the location and size of the distributed generators is addressed. The whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is chosen to perform this task since it can explore the sizeable combinatorial search space of the problem, which is also nonlinear and nonconvex. The purpose of this study is to mitigate power losses; voltage ranges are borne in mind as the problem restrictions. The proposals for solving the issue are evaluated using a specialized power flow algorithm. The algorithm is implemented in MATLAB and the 33-bus and 69-bus grids are employed to assess the performance of the approach. The results indicate that the WOA method outperforms regarding power loss reduction and voltage characteristic improvement in the concurrent integration of distribution network reconfiguration and distributed generators compared with the four metaheuristics shown in the results section.