Investigation of distributed generation units placement and sizing based on voltage stability condition indicator (VSCI)

Abstract

Voltage instability in power distribution systems can result in voltage collapse throughout the grid. Today, with the advanced of power generation technology from renewable sources, concerns of utility companies are much being focused on the stability of the grid when there is an integration of distributed generation (DG) in the system. This paper presents a study on DG units’ placement and sizing in a radial distribution network by using a pre-developed index called Voltage Stability Condition Index (VSCI). In this paper, VSCI is used to determine DG placement candidates, while the value of power losses is used to identify the best DG placement. The proposed method is tested on a standard 33-bus radial distribution network and compared with existing Ettehadi and Aman methods. The effectiveness of the method is presented in terms of reduction in power system losses, maximization of system loadability and voltage quality improvement. Results show that VSCI can be utilized as the voltage stability indicator for DG placement in radial distribution power system. The integration of DG is found to improve voltage stability by increasing the system loadability and reducing the power losses of the network.