Simultaneous network reconfiguration and DG using EP method

Summary Distributed generation (DG) sources have recently become more significant in the distribution system due to the increasing demand of electricity energy. Choosing the most suitable size of DG is an essential step to ensure tremendous effect on its operation and power system control. An optimal DG size will result in the reduction of electrical power loss as well as the cost of operation. Power loss reduction can also be achieved through optimal network reconfiguration. By considering optimal network reconfiguration and DG sizing, the effectiveness and efficiency of the system can be improved while having lower power loss in the power system. Therefore, this paper presents the simultaneous method to identify the optimal network reconfiguration and DG sizing using evolutionary programming. The main goal of this work was to reduce the power loss and increase the voltage profile, while at the same time fulfill the operating constraints. The developed method was tested on 33‐bus and 69‐bus system with different operating conditions. The test results showed a great improvement of power loss reduction and overall voltage profile of the system. The implementation of reconfiguration and DG technique in 33‐bus and 69‐bus systems which were operated simultaneously had shown tremendous improvement in terms of the number of iterations to reach the optimal value of power losses and DG sizing. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.