Optimal Placement of Distributed Energy Resources using Particle Swarm Optimization Techniques: A Review

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are already playing a very significant role in the provision of clean energy and the reduction of greenhouse emissions. With the demand for clean energy on the increase, Grid connected DERs are becoming a viable alternative to supplement the existing fossil fuels generated power from the grid. The placement and sizing of the DERs cannot be done arbitrarily due to cost implications and the need to minimize losses. Various techniques have been researched on how best to place and size DERs, whether connected to the grid or connected directly to the load. This paper reviews the four variants of particle swarm optimization (PSO) techniques which have been used for the optimization of the placement of DERs. The paper will also look at how the implementation of the various PSO techniques in these applications have yielded both successes and shortfalls and further investigate ways the shortfalls have been dealt with. The paper will be limited to investigating the PSO, EPSO, REPSO and MPSO techniques.