A Constrained and Data-Driven Approach for Prioritizing the Placement of Power Quality Conditioners in Large-Scale Distribution Systems

This paper presents an approach to identifying prioritized locations for the installation of Distribution Power Quality Conditioners (PQCs) within distribution systems to dynamically manage voltage and reactive power. Utilizing a data-driven methodology, the study prioritizes PQC placements through a weighted sum calculation that considers voltage fluctuations, harmonic distortions, and penalties for violations. Additionally, the methodology incorporates equity frameworks to address community needs, ensuring that vulnerable communities impacted by climate change are considered. By narrowing the search space, the approach effectively pinpoints optimal PQC deployment locations, particularly in larger systems. This standards-based method enables utilities to assess and prioritize sites based on the severity of power quality issues and other relevant attributes across extensive networks using existing telemetry data. It effectively addresses the challenges of finding optimal placements in large systems.