Determination of Optimal Power Flow for Photovoltaic Integration into Microgrid to Minimize System Losses Using Slime Mould Algorithm

The optimal power flow deals with the non-predictable constraint that requires acquiring adequate values for the control variables and contacting the most satisfactory objective function. This article implies simulating a proper PV integration point injected as a distributed generator at a radial distribution microgrid system. The Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA) is employed to attain the right bus with minimum system loss. MATLAB simulation software utilized on the IEEE 33-bus test. The result showed a remarkable reduction in power loss when a PV of 2511.34 kW was injected at bus 6. The initial power loss before the DG integration was 202 kW, and after the injection, the registered losses. Lowered to 104 kW. This loss translates to almost 48% power loss reduction, and 11% of the total power is redundant at the bus to further increase network security and reliability. Conversely, this significant reduction further confirms that the PV integration to the microgrid improved the distribution system's voltage stability index by substantially minimizing the active power losses. Moreover, the simulation results further placed the network in stable current and voltage conditions, and the system power losses and voltage deviations were optimized.