Network Reconfiguration for Load Balancing in Radial Distribution Systems Using Genetic Algorithm

Network reconfiguration of a distribution system is an operation to alter the topological structure of distribution feeders by changing open /closed status of sectionalizing and tie switches. Network reconfiguration for time varying loads is very complex and extremely non-linear optimization, which can be effectively solved using genetic algorithm (GA). By transferring loads from the heavily loaded feeders to the lightly loaded feeders, network reconfiguration can balance feeder loads and lighten overload conditions of the network. This article presents a novel approach to solve the radial distribution system reconfiguration problem for load balancing using GA. A load flow technique is proposed for solving radial distribution systems using sparsity technique. The proposed method is simple, as it requires only two equations for load balancing. This method is demonstrated through a 69-node test system. The test results reveal that the proposed method yields optimal configuration with reduced computational burden.