Distributed Reactive Power Injection-Based Approach for Minimization of Losses in Electrical Networks Considering Heuristic Algorithms and Voltage Deviation

This paper deals with the reduction in electrical losses and the minimization of voltage deviation in electrical power grids. To this end, a novel heuristic-based approach is proposed for controlling reactive power injections along an electrical grid with distributed generation using distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation. The proposed approach consists of applying a heuristic, namely a genetic or firefly algorithm, to solve the loss and voltage deviation optimization problem by controlling PV reactive power injections. The proposed method was tested on a radial 100-bus network with an intense penetration of PV generation. The obtained results indicate that the proposed method consistently yields superior grid performance when compared to algorithms previously proposed in the literature. In fact, it led to a reduction in the active power supplied by the reference bus to the grid, thereby alleviating the burden imposed on the most upstream parts of the distribution network. As a consequence, the proposed method contributes to a power-efficient network, enhancing its loss performance and voltage stability.