Reactive Power Compensation in Distribution Networks using the Bat Algorithm

The basic requirements for a good distribution system are good voltage profile, availability of power on demand and reliability. Capacitors are commonly used to provide the reactive power compensation in distribution systems. This paper investigates a particular approach that highlights the influences which the connection of reactive power sources may have over the solutions for voltage control in a real medium voltage distribution network. The problem of reactive power sources optimization for bus voltage deviation index minimization was solved by optimally placing a number of capacitor banks in the network buses, using the Bat Algorithm. A Matlab specialized software of the Bat Algorithm was applied to a real distribution network to confirm the algorithm feasibility. Also, the results have proven the accuracy of the proposed method.