Optimal Allocation and Operation of Battery Energy Storage System in Distribution Networks Using an Improved Equilibrium Optimizer

Integrating renewable energy sources (RESs) into the power grid presents challenges concerning the stability and reliability of system operation. A viable strategy to address these challenges involves coupling battery energy storage systems (BESS) with the power network to manage fluctuating loads effectively. In this research, the placement and operation of BESS are optimized to reduce energy procurement costs from the primary grid. To achieve this objective, the study introduces an improved equilibrium optimizer (IEO), which incorporates simple quadratic interpolation to improve the search capabilities of the original equilibrium optimizer (EO). The IEO is tested on the IEEE 69-bus radial distribution network (RDN) across various scenarios. The findings illustrate that energy costs and losses can be substantially reduced by integrating solar photovoltaic, wind turbines, and BESS. Furthermore, the efficacy of the IEO is validated by comparing it with other methodologies, affirming its superiority in addressing the considered problem.