Optimal sitting and sizing of DG units considering islanding operation mode of sensitive loads

Finding the optimal location and capacity of Distributed Generation (DG) has been under study by many researchers. In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed to determine the location and capacity of DGs with the presence of sensitive loads using the Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA). The proposed method enhances the network reliability and guarantees continuous feeding of sensitive loads. The main advantage of this method is its ability to form islands including sensitive loads, which are fed by DG units. This algorithm will find the location and capacity of DG units in the islands. Moreover, by applying the proposed method, active network losses can be minimized. The proposed algorithm is applied to the IEEE 33-bus distribution network and the results are discussed.