Minimizing Power Distribution Losses by means of Reactive Power Injection using Photovoltaic Generation

In this paper, a proposal for control and reactive power injection in a radial electrical distribution network with photovoltaic distributed generation is presented. The proposed algorithm aims to provide a balance between voltage regulation and minimization of electrical losses. The reactive power injected into the electrical grid is controlled by means of the photovoltaic inverter, which connects the photovoltaic modules to the distribution network. The performance of the algorithm was tested on a 100-bar rural single-phase electric grid. Three PV penetration factors were used in the grid, and the voltage profiles at each bar as well as the distribution losses are presented. In the results, the proposed algorithm obtained the lowest losses and the best voltage profile (closest to 1 pu) in the simulated scenarios compared to other algorithms proposed in the literature.