An intelligent water drop approach for simultaneous reconfiguration and DG integration in distribution system

The inclusion of distributed generator units (DGs) has significantly aided in addressing the exponentially incrementing electric power demand, reducing the losses, and enhancing the voltage profile of the distribution system. However, the DGs must be placed at optimal locations with appropriate outputs to extract the maximum benefits. Typically, classical optimization techniques are employed to size DGs for small and simple systems; nevertheless, large and complex distribution systems require intelligent approaches for optimal sizing of DGs. Consequently, the present work utilizes a nature-inspired optimization algorithm known as intelligent water drop to find the optimal locations and sizes of the DGs. Additionally, the optimal sizing of the DGs for reconfigured distribution systems is also performed to upgrade the system performance further. The algorithm has been implemented on IEEE 33 bus and IEEE 69 bus distribution systems. The results explicitly demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is superior in addressing the problem of reconfiguration combined with DGs installation.