Radial network reconfiguration and load balancing for loss minimization using genetic algorithms

The present trend in distribution regulation pushes distribution utilities to achieve high efficiency. Network-based methods to reduce losses include phase load balancing, network reconfiguration, and capacitor placement. This paper minimized losses for unbalanced radial three-phase systems through the combined methods of phase load balancing and network reconfiguration. The canonical genetic algorithm was applied to the phase load balancing problem while the spanning-tree-based genetic algorithm was applied to the network reconfiguration. Using a 14-bus test system, this paper compared five variants: balance only, reconfigure only, balance-then-reconfigure, reconfigure-then-balance, and simultaneous balance-and-reconfigure. For the 14-bus test system, the simultaneous application of phase load balancing and network reconfiguration yielded the minimum losses. One contribution of this paper is the characterization of the five variants using GA. This paper also presents the result using the simultaneous balance-and-reconfigure for the IEEE 123-bus test system.