Cost-Effective Micro-Phasor Measurement Unit Placement in Radial Distribution Networks Using Adaptive Oppositional Artificial Rabbit Optimisation

Abstract

Ensuring cost-effective and reliable observability in power distribution networks is essential for the efficient operation of emerging smart grids. Micro-Phasor Measurement Units (μPMUs) offer high-resolution monitoring but incur significant installation costs, hindering widespread adoption. This paper provides an efficient and cost-effective μPMU deployment mechanism that ensures full topological observability. The suggested approach is tested on conventional IEEE 33-bus, 69-bus and 123-bus distribution test systems, with four different placement scenarios investigated to assess various cost-performance trade-offs. The proposed technique significantly reduces the required amount of μPMUs while maintaining full observability. The IEEE 33-bus system reduces μPMU count from 17 to 10, resulting in a 45.8% cost reduction. The 69-bus and 123-bus systems achieve cost savings of 27.1% and 30.5%, respectively. These findings illustrate the method's scalability and efficiency in reducing deployment costs while maintaining network observability. In addition to offering a useful tool for distribution network operators for planning real-time monitoring with low-cost sensing devices, the study assesses different solution scenarios (Cases I–IV) to demonstrate trade-offs. Although the focus is on a single-objective approach—minimising μPMU installation costs under complete observability constraints—it also gives comparative insights to aid planning decisions across multiple cost-performance situations.