A Novel Approach for Mitigating Electrical Losses and Current Unbalance in Low Voltage Distribution Networks

Abstract

The use of advanced technologies in smart electrical grids has created new opportunities to reduce losses, increase stability and visibility, and improve the operation of these networks. In this research, with the aim of reducing electrical losses due to load imbalance, a novel method for network reconfiguration is presented. In this method, by increasing the degrees of freedom of the unbalanced IEEE 906 bus low-voltage reference network through load transfer switches, the optimal network configuration is proposed using a meta-heuristic algorithm to solve this constrained large-scale optimization problem. This algorithm, by carefully examining the effects of variables dependent on electrical losses and utilizing innovative heuristics and optimizations compared to previous studies, demonstrates positive performance in reducing electrical losses and neutral current of the network. This algorithm, with the least number of switching operations throughout the day, achieves a unique approach among similar scientific articles. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm has been fully proven using a combined simulation in MATLAB and OpenDSS software. The dynamic selection of variables dependent on electrical losses as the feedback signal of the control system and the determination of the optimal threshold accordingly, has resulted in a 7% reduction in average electrical losses and a 22% reduction in average neutral current of the network compared to the reference case. The application of the results of this paper will be an important step towards the operationalization of this idea and its use in the real world.