Optimal Capacitor Placement in Radial Distribution System using Group Search Optimization Algorithm

Power generated in generating station is transmitted through transmission lines and fed to the consumers through distribution substation. The power distributed in to the network has losses, which is greater in distribution system than the transmission system. This problem could be addressed by placing capacitor at strategic location due to which the kW loss can be minimized by improving the voltage profile. This paper involves two methods where the first method being the Sensitivity Analysis and the second method is the Group Search Optimization Algorithm (GSO). Sensitivity Analysis is a methodical technique which is used in order to reduce the search space and to arrive at an accurate solution for recognizing the locality of capacitors. Capacitor values are allocated for the respective locations using GSO. The proposed approach is demonstrated by employing the IEEE 33 bus test system. Computational results show that by taking capacitor settings, one can minimize kW losses more efficiently.