Combination of Optimal Conductor Selection and Capacitor Placement in Radial Distribution Systems for Maximum Loss Reduction

In This paper presents an approach for optimal placement and sizing of fixed capacitor banks and also optimal conductor selection in radial distribution networks for the purpose of economic minimization of loss and enhancement of voltage. The objective function includes the cost of power losses, capacitors and conductors. Constraints include voltage limit, maximum permissible carrying current of conductors, size of available capacitors and type of conductors. The optimization problem is solved by the genetic algorithm method and the size and the type of the capacitors and conductors is determined. By applying the proposed method, the economic costs and power losses are reduced to a considerable degree while enhancing the voltage profile. Simulation results are investigated on a radial distribution network consisting of 27 buses.