Optimal placement and operation of soft open points, capacitors, and renewable distributed generators in distribution power networks to reduce total one-year energy loss.

The paper optimizes the placement of soft open points (SOPs) devices, shunt capacitor banks (SCBs), and distributed generators (DGs) in the IEEE 69-node distribution power grid for reducing the power loss of a single hour and total energy losses of one year. EO is proven to be more effective than previous methods and three other applied algorithms, including the Coot optimization algorithm (COOT), Modified weight inertia factor and modified acceleration coefficients-based particle swarm optimization (CFPSO), and Tunicate swarm algorithm (TSA). So, EO is applied for the last case considering one SOPs, one wind turbine (WT), two solar photovoltaic systems (PVs), and two SCBs over one year with twelve months and 24 h each month. The study reaches the smallest power loss compared to previous studies in the first case with one SOPs device. The results from the second to the fourth cases indicate that the power grid needs the placement of SCBs and DGs first and SOPs devices to reach the lowest power loss. Case 5 indicates that the hybrid system with one WT and two PVs suffers higher power losses than the base system at hours with high generation from renewable sources; however, integrating the SOPs and SCBs into the hybrid system can reach smaller losses than the base system at these hours. Thus, using SOPs and SCBs in integrated distribution power grids with renewable energies can greatly benefit energy loss reduction.