A Top-Down Approach for Distribution Loss Evaluation

A methodology, which can be classified as Top-Down, aimed at computing technical losses in distribution systems is proposed. It can be applied to either evaluate part of the network or to analyze the whole distribution system. This methodology basically requires the load curve of the studied feeder or substation, and, depending on the analyzed segment, some complementary data. Thus, the contribution of this proposal becomes significant when compared to other methodologies that commonly require large and updated databases, often not available. The proposed technique was applied to two real Brazilian distribution systems. Results, compared with measured data, show the effectiveness of the methodology in computing losses by segments and for the whole circuit.