Optimal Placement And Sizing of Capacitors using Binary Firefly Algorithm To Reduce Power Losses

Optimal capacitor placement in radial distribution systems plays a vital role in minimizing real power losses and enhancing voltage profiles, thereby improving the overall performance and reliability of power networks. This paper presents an efficient approach using Binary Firefly Algorithm (BFA) to determine the optimal locations and sizes of shunt capacitors. The method focuses on reducing active power losses and maintaining voltage levels within acceptable limits, while adhering to operational constraints such as bus voltage bounds and capacitor sizing limits. The proposed method is tested on standard IEEE radial distribution systems, and the results show significant improvements in power loss reduction and voltage profile enhancement when compared to conventional techniques. Based on the analysis and simulation results, BFA demonstrated the most optimal performance in reducing power losses in the distribution system. Compared to other algorithms used in this study, BFA consistently identified the best combination of capacitor placement and sizing that resulted in the lowest total power loss. The effectiveness of BFA lies in its balanced exploration and exploitation capabilities within the solution space, enabling it to find optimal solutions that not only significantly reduce power losses but also improve voltage profiles throughout the system. Furthermore, from an economic perspective, BFA outperforms other methods in terms of net savings.