Development of a search algorithm to define the optimal location of electrical substations

The growth of electricity demand in Argentina leads to the system expansion in generation, transmission and distribution networks in that country. Regarding distribution networks, a typical problem arises when a distribution company or a large customer must choose the location of its electrical substations; because this decision will determine the total cost of the installation. With the aim of minimize these costs, this paper proposes a search algorithm in order to determine the optimal location of electrical substations. This algorithm is implemented in Matlab® and it is tested in two case studies.