Optimal reconfiguration and capacitor allocation in radial distribution systems for energy losses minimization

This paper presents an algorithm for reconfiguration associated with capacitor allocation to minimize energy losses on radial electrical networks considering different load levels. The proposed model is solved using a mixed integer non-linear programming approach, in which a continuous function is used to handle the discrete variables. The primal-dual interior point technique is applied to solve the optimization problem at each step. The Lagrange multipliers are used to evaluate a new proposed sensitivity index for distribution system reconfiguration. The association of reconfiguration with capacitor allocation is achieved through the combination of two sequential solution based approaches. The performance of the algorithm is analyzed in three systems available in the literature. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.