This paper presents a heuristic technique for improving the voltage profile and reducing power loss in a distribution network. These components are to be maintained at a certain standard to boost the electricity supply power of a distribution network. The shunt capacitor placement technique is applied to achieve a sustainable electric power supply. The issue of power loss has been a major threat to the distribution network. A distribution network is expected to operate at a certain voltage level to meet consumers’ energy demand. Power flow studies have been conducted using Newton Raphson’s technique on the 30 bus, 11 kV Onuiyi-Nsukka distribution network. It was found that the voltage profile on buses 19 and 26 was critically violated with voltage amplitudes of 0.72 pu and 0.79 pu respectively. The feeder power quality was improved using a shunt capacitor placement technique and the installation of a 1200KVAr shunt capacitor to keep bus voltage amplitudes within the legal limit of (0.95-1.05) pu. The voltage profile, active and reactive power losses on the network were determined. Active power loss and reactive power loss are reduced from 0.27MW to 0.12MW and 0.76Mvar to 0.14Mvar, respectively. Therefore, the distribution network voltage profile is improved and the power loss on the network significantly reduced.

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Rural electrification and sustainable energy services to the less privileged is à major challenge faced in Nigeria. Off-grid power generation via small hydropower plant would mitigate this challenge. This Paper discusses the awareness and assessment of small hydro power for off-grid electrification in rural/isolated areas in Nigeria. In this research, the method of onsite data collection and evaluation was used. Data was measured and collected at water fall of 21 meters high. The velocity of the water and flow rate were measured and calculated respectively. From the onsite analysis carried out for a one-year period, the result shows output power generated in each month. The analytical observation revealed that the output power generated in the rainy season was higher than that of dry season. The data were compiled and plotted using Excel spreadsheet. The output power generated from the rainy season in Nigeria is higher than that of dry season. August has the highest output power (110.728867 kW), while December has the least output power (101.125352 kW). From the output power gotten we can term it a micro hydropower plant. With this each of the monthly generated power can serve 5 villages in rural/isolated areas with average connection of 200houses, assuming 100W compact power supply to each house hold. Nigeria as a developing country will gain a lot from Small Hydro Power (SHP) and it has minimal environmental hazard.

The undulated power supply has dropped to its worst reliability index in most parts of the city despite the installations of distribution transformers to improve the power. In this work, examination of Port Harcourt Town Zone 4 (Z4), Rivers State power distribution system forcing on its operation, planning for future expansion of the system, and sharing of power between utilities was done. The objective was to unravel the problematic recurrent blackouts as a result high power loss, that is (I 2 R) in the line; low voltage profile, poor cos∅ at the load end, excessive loading of feeder transformers, and conductors rating inadequacy at the receiving end of the 33KV Distribution part of the substation. A comprehensive study was carried out on the system with the formation of node admittance matrix. Programmable codes were written using MATLAB script to resolve the static power flow equations defined applying Fast decoupled-Newton Raphson calculation procedure centered on the advantages of time and PC memory space (PC-MS). Thus, the node voltage and the other variables like branch flows and phase angles were gotten, and network losses were reduced. However, the results obtained were compared with that gotten from Electrical Transient Analyzer Program (ETAP) application software. It was seen that the two results got were related. The general net power gotten was (129.741 MW, 83.818 MVAr) applying the Fast Decoupled-Newton-Raphson load flow technique in MATLAB programming environment after the addition of receptive power through the means of the capacitor bank to the affected nodes. The total net power that is real and reactive got employing ETAP programming were (125.765 MW, 92.782 MVAr). The overall line losses were enhanced by 0.246 reductions. That is from (4.75MW, 10.05MVAr) to (3.58MW, 7.57MVAr) of the entire real power losses.