Optimal Capacitor Placement for Loss Reduction in Distribution Systems Using Bat Algorithm

Electricity, today, has not only become a necessity but also a tool for determining the economic standing and growth of a nation. The exponential growth in demand over the past two decades and the widening gap between demand and supply is a growing concern. So as to reduce this gap, in addition to adding new generating units, automation technology is being employed for reducing the T&D losses and therefore the increasing necessity of fast and efficient algorithms. This paper presents a two stage approach: first, Fuzzy Logic is used to find optimal capacitor locations and then Bat Algorithm is used to find optimal capacitor sizes in order to minimize losses. The proposed method is tested on 15-bus and 34-bus test systems and the results are presented.