Optimal VAr planning in power systems incorporating domestic load modeling using chaotic trigonometric search algorithm

In the last couple of years, with the advent of emerging load types, the global electricity markets have been witnessing fast-changing consumption behaviors. Across nearly all load sectors, modern nonlinear power electronic loads constitute a significant portion of the total electricity demand. It is becoming a challenging task for network engineers to maintain an uninterrupted power supply without compromising the network's efficiency and grid controllability. The proposed work presents an innovative planning strategy for optimal reactive power allocation in static load models. This load model utilizes exponent-based representations of active and reactive power, considering the seasonal and temporal variations to simulate their impact on transmission network flows. The objective is to minimize the overall operating cost while adhering to constraints imposed by the network. To ensure economic efficiency, the overall operating cost incorporates various components associated with VAr generation, along with the impact of transformer tap settings. The optimal parameters subjected to reactive power planning (RPP) are obtained by using the proposed CTSA (Chaotic Trigonometric Search Algorithm). The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated on the Indian Utility 62-bus test system. Simulation results show a reduction in overall operating cost across all considered scenarios, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed method in reactive power management and highlighting the superior performance and versatility of CTSA in addressing diverse operational challenges.