Optimal allocation of renewable energy sources for energy loss minimization

Optimal allocation of renewable distributed generation (RDG), i.e., solar and the wind in a distribution system becomes challenging due to intermittent generation and uncertainty of loads. This paper proposes an optimal allocation methodology for single and hybrid RDGs for energy loss minimization. The deterministic generation-load model integrated with optimal power flow provides optimal solutions for single and hybrid RDG. Considering the complexity of the proposed nonlinear, constrained optimization problem, it is solved by a robust and high performance meta-heuristic, Symbiotic Organisms Search (SOS) algorithm. Results obtained from SOS algorithm offer optimal solutions than Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Firefly Algorithm (FFA). Economic analysis is carried out to quantify the economic benefits of energy loss minimization over the life span of RDGs.