Optimisation of distributed generation units and shunt capacitors for economic operation of distribution systems

The integration of Distributed Generation (DG) units and shunt capacitors can be considered as an alternative approach for distribution system expansion planning not only to improve power supply quality and reliability, but also to defer major system updates. In this paper, the techno-economic issues of distribution system expansion planning with optimal sizing and siting of DG units and shunt capacitors are addressed. The minimisation of overall investment cost with the integration of DG units and shunt capacitors is assessed with the consideration of supply quality, reliability and energy loss. A new planning methodology by using Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) is proposed to minimise the overall cost for optimal sizing and siting of DG units and shunt capacitors. The proposed methodology is tested on a remote 11 kV radial distribution feeder and results are reported.