OPTIMAL RECONFIGURATION OF POWER DISTRIBUTION RADIAL NETWORK USING HYBRID META-HEURISTIC ALGORITHMS

Distribution system is a critical link between the electric power distributor and the consumers. Most of the distribution networks commonly used by the electric utility is the radial distribution network. However in this type of network, it has technical issues such as enormous power losses which affect the quality of the supply. Nowadays, the introduction of Distributed Generation (DG) units in the system help improve and support the voltage profile of the network as well as the performance of the system components through power loss mitigation. In this study network reconfiguration was done using two meta-heuristic algorithms Particle Swarm Optimization and Gravitational Search Algorithm (PSO-GSA) to enhance power quality and voltage profile in the system when simultaneously applied with the DG units. Backward/Forward Sweep Method was used in the load flow analysis and simulated using the MATLAB program. Five cases were considered in the Reconfiguration based on the contribution of DG units. The proposed method was tested using IEEE 33 bus system. Based on the results, there was a voltage profile improvement in the system from 0.9038 p.u. to 0.9594 p.u.. The integration of DG in the network also reduced power losses from 210.98 kW to 69.3963 kW. Simulated results are drawn to show the performance of each case

DESIGN OF AN IOT-BASED SMALL SCALE INDOOR HYDROPONICS WITH GEO-SOLAR SYSTEM

International audienceUrban farming is considered trending. Hydroponics, in particular, offers opportunities to grow and produce healthy plants with lesser energy requirements. In this work, the necessary requirements for plant growth and development such as temperature, humidity, pH, nutrient level and water temperature were being studied as bases for making the controlling and monitoring system. The outcome of this work indicates the selection of sensors through compare and contrast functions as set in the program. Data gathered were processed and programmed using microcontrollers and open-source software (Arduino and Blynk). Specifically, the solar photovoltaic (PV) and geothermal systems were utilized to provide power and maintain the temperature of the whole system. Based on the results, the design and selection of appropriate sensors and devices were able to monitor and control the required nutrients and environment of a plant. The integration also of solar PV was able to power up the whole system sustaining the operations of the devices. The integration also of the ground heat exchanger system helped in reducing the temperature to an average of 5oC. Moreover, the system was able to display the plant’s parameters and prompt the owner of any irregularities in the system. It can be recommended to improve further the structural design and assembly of the system