A novel method based on adaptive cuckoo search for optimal network reconfiguration and distributed generation allocation in distribution network

•The novel method based on CSA is adapted to solve the DNR considering DG problem.•Seven different scenarios of DNR and DG placement are considered.•The proposed method is used to find fundamental loop and check radial topology.•The proposed method is applied to the 33, 69 and 119 buses networks for evaluation.•The proposed ACSA method has better performance in comparison to other methods.

This paper proposes a new methodology to optimize network topology and placement of distributed generation (DG) in distribution network with an objective of reduction real power loss and voltage stability enhancement. A meta-heuristic cuckoo search algorithm (CSA) inspired from the obligate brood parasitism of some cuckoo species which lay their eggs in the nests of other birds of other species for solving optimization problems is adapted to simultaneously reconfigure and identify the optimal location and size of DG units in a distribution network. The graph theory is used to determine the search space which reduces infeasible network configurations of reconfiguration process and check the radial constraint of each configuration of distribution network. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been validated on three different distribution network systems at seven different scenarios. The obtained results show well the effectiveness and performance of the proposed method in distribution network reconfiguration with optimal location and size of DG problems.