Power Loss Reduction and Enhancing Voltage Profile of Distribution Network Feeders: A Case Study in Iran

Subject Areas : Power Engineering

Mohammad Najafi ¹ , Mohammad Reza Miveh ²

1 - Department of Electrical Engineering, Tafresh University, Tafresh, Iran
2 - Department of Electrical Engineering, Tafresh University, Tafresh, Iran

Received: 2024-07-25 Accepted : 2025-01-17 Published : 2026-06-21

Keywords: Power loss, Voltage profile, Economic evaluation, Distributed generation,

Abstract :

Considering the significant role of electrical energy in economic and social development, as well as the substantial investments in the power industry, particularly in distribution networks, practical strategies to reduce losses and enhance the efficiency of existing facilities are essential. This paper investigates and compares the impact of all available methods on loss reduction and voltage profile improvement from both technical and economic perspectives on a real network. Additionally, to achieve more accurate results, the uncertainties in distributed generation resources and network loads are accounted for using scenario generation methods. The study evaluates all possible methods to determine the optimal location and capacity of equipment as the problem-solving algorithm. Load forecasting is incorporated to assess the effectiveness of the proposed methods for future years. Furthermore, a novel idea of reactive power injection by a solar power plant is considered and compared with the case of a solar power plant without reactive power injection. The proposed methods are simulated on five real high-loss distribution feeders in Iran using DIgSILENT software and Python programming. The simulation results indicate that the optimal placement of a solar power plant with reactive power injection provides the best technical performance, while capacitor placement offers the highest economic efficiency.

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