Multiobjective Optimization of Capacitor Banks Placement in Distribution Networks Using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Differential Evolution (DE)

Reactive power flow compensation is widely employed in power grids to reduce active power losses and enhance the Voltage Stability Margin (VSM). Typically, the optimal placement of capacitor banks at each node can be determined using multi-objective optimization methods. This paper proposes a new optimization algorithm in which the objective function simultaneously considers the minimization of power losses and the maximization of voltage stability margin. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Differential Evolution (DE) are applied to find the optimal solution. The performance of these methods is evaluated on both radial and meshed network configurations. The results demonstrate that DE and PSO show higher robustness and better fitness for large-scale and meshed networks, compared to Genetic Algorithms (GA).