Optimal Power Factor Correction and Overvoltage Mitigation in Distributed Generation Unit

This paper proposes an energy management system (EMS) for a distributed generation (DG) unit based on particle swarm optimization (PSO). The main goal of the proposed EMS is to optimize the profit of the dispatch while maintaining the power factor (PF) and voltage of the connection bus within allowable limits. The EMS considers a cost function composed of two terms. The first term accounts for the economic dispatch, while the second relates to overvoltage mitigation. Moreover, the EMS treats the active and reactive power differently for overvoltage mitigation. At a first attempt, the EMS only uses reactive power to correct the voltage. If this strategy is not enough, the EMS limits the active power generated. The EMS evaluation considers a radial distribution system model and real data of electrical load and irradiance. Simulation results are shown and discussed.