Analysis of harmonic impact of electric vehicle charging station in municipal zone: Siting and sizing

Abstract

The increasing penetration of Electric Vehicles (EVs) necessitates optimized siting and sizing of EV charging stations (EVCS) while accounting for harmonic distortion, voltage stability, and economic feasibility. This thesis develops an optimization framework that integrates probabilistic EV charging behavior into EVCS planning while maintaining voltage and Total Harmonic Distortion within acceptable limits. A multi-objective fitness function is formulated incorporating infrastructure cost, land cost, harmonic penalties, customer dissatisfaction, and Active Power Filter installation cost. Particle Swarm Optimization is employed to determine optimal EVCS locations and capacities using the IEEE 33-bus distribution system as a case study. Simulation results indicate that harmonic effects increase reactive power losses by approximately 21%, while APF deployment reduces voltage and current THD by about 25% and 26%, respectively. Capacitor bank integration further improves voltage profiles and reduces system losses, demonstrating the technical effectiveness and economic viability of the proposed framework.