Optimal Integration of Distributed Energy Resources in Radial Distribution Networks using Levy Flight based Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization

The advancement of civilization largely depends on the usage of electrical power. The lack of availability of fossil fuel forced us to choose alternative power sources to fulfil the growing load demand. In order to reduce transmission losses, it is preferred to install and operate the Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) near the load centers and/or distribution system. Identification of appropriate power rating and location of placement of the DERs are very essential to fulfil the load-generation mismatch. Additionally, the use of proper DER at appropriate places can help in reducing active power loss, leading to improvement of the load voltage profile. Hence, it is of utmost importance to study the characteristics of different DERs and the effect of their sizes and locations on the distributed network. To achieve the aforementioned goal in a non-linear, complex power system, it is preferred to treat this problem as a single objective nonlinear optimization problem that can be solved using a highly sophisticated algorithm that can handle the system nonlinearities as well as complex constraints. In view of the above, the authors applied and compared the Levy Flight-based Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization (APSOLF) algorithm along with the original and adaptive version of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO and APSO), in solving the aforesaid problem on standard IEEE 33 radial distribution system (RDS) with single and multiple DER units. Based on the number of DERs used, three case studies have been considered. The comparison confirms the superiority of APSOLF over PSO and APSO.