Abstract
A method for minimizing power losses in radial distribution electrical systems through optimal capacitor placement is presented. The approach combines analytical expressions for loss sensitivity with heuristic search algorithms to identify near-optimal capacitor locations and sizes.
Key Results
Application to test distribution networks demonstrates loss reductions of 12-28% depending on system configuration. The proposed method outperforms conventional heuristic approaches in terms of both computational efficiency and solution quality.
$$ P_{\text{loss}} = \sum_{i=1}^{n} I_i^2 R_i $$