<![CDATA[Minimizing power loss while keeping the voltage profile within acceptable limits is a great challenge for the distribution system operators. Properly sized and optimally placed shunt capacitors (SCs) in radial distribution networks (RDNs) can enhance system efficiency and offer both technical and economic benefits. This paper presents a novel meta-heuristic technique, the weight salp swarm algorithm (WSSA) as a modified version of the original SSA algorithm by incorporating an inertia weight parameter to improve precision, speed, and consistency in solving the optimal capacitor placement (OCP) problem. The proposed method minimizes power loss, annual total costs, and improves the voltage profile of RDNs, ensuring practical applicability. Two RDNs, IEEE 33-bus and a real Iraqi 65-bus in Sadat Al-Hindiya, Babel Governorate, Iraq, were used to evaluate WSSA's performance. Comparative analysis with recently published approaches demonstrates WSSA’s superiority in reducing power loss, lowering costs, and improving voltage profiles. For the IEEE 33-bus, power loss is decreased by 34.81%, and the total cost is lessened by 29.08% (savings of $30,965.33). For the Iraqi 65-bus, WSSA reduces power loss by 32.03% and decreases the total cost by 29.51% (savings of $69,201.57). These results confirm WSSA’s effectiveness in achieving OCP with enhanced technical and economic benefits.]]>
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