This paper presents a simple and
efficient reconfiguration approach for
balanced distribution networks with
Distributed Generation (DG). The proposed
approach starts with meshed networks by
closing all tie switches. A switching index is
defined for reconfiguration using apparent
power flow in lines. The radial configuration
was restored by opening the switch with the
highest switching index in each loop
subjected to system operational constraints.
The time varying nature of loads through
using daily load profiles in each node of the
system was considered. The results
concluded the effectiveness of the fixed
configuration compared to hourly
reconfiguration in terms of energy losses and
number of switching operations. The
proposed method has been tested on three
systems with and without distributed
generation, and compared with those
reported in the literature.