Solving multi-objective optimal power flow using differential evolution

A differential evolution approach to solve optimal power flow problem with multiple and competing objectives is presented. Two sub-problems of optimal power flow namely active power dispatch and reactive power dispatch are considered. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear constrained true multi-objective optimisation problem with competing objectives. Constrain-domination approach have been used to handle inequality constraints, which eliminates the use of penalty factors. The performance of the proposed approach was tested on standard IEEE 30-bus system and is compared with a conventional method. The result demonstrates the capability of the proposed approach to generate diverse and well-distributed Pareto-optimal solutions. © 2008 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.