A Practical Second-Order Based Method for Power Losses Estimation in Distribution Systems With Distributed Generation

Power losses estimation under time-varying distributed generation (DG) conditions usually demands several power flow simulations, which is a time-consuming task. To handle this issue, this paper proposes a method that uses the information of only one (base case) power flow to estimate the total power losses of distribution networks for any new DG condition. The method is based on the second-order power flow sensitivities, which are suitable to model the nonlinear nature of power losses. As a result, the method has the potential to speed up the solution of power losses reduction optimization problems, such as DG allocation problems, in which several DG configurations need to be considered. Moreover, a practical index is proposed to quantify the responsibility of each DG for the total power losses in a multi-DG scenario. The test results verified the validity of the proposed concept and method.