Enhancement of voltage stability in radial distribution systems through online network reconfiguration using genetic algorithm

Network reconfi guration of distribution system is an operation to alter the topological structure of feeders by changing open/closed status of sectionalizing and tie switches. Network reconfi guration for time varying loads is very complex and extremely non-linear optimization, which can be effectively solved using Genetic Algorithm (GA). By reconfi guring the network, voltage stability can be improved in distribution systems. In this paper a method is proposed for the enhancement of voltage stability under varying load conditions by online network reconfi guration using GA. This method is computationally effi cient and in general gives conservative estimates of voltage stability. The proposed method is tested on 16-node and 33-node radial distribution systems.