An application of Gorilla troops optimizer in solving the problem of economic load dispatch considering valve point loading effect

Abstract

Economic load dispatch (ELD) is one of the fundamental and important optimization problems in an electrical power system. The goal of the ELD problem is to minimize the overall cost of fuel used by generators while satisfying the different constraints like power balance limitations, operational capacity limits, ramp-rate limits, and prohibited operating zones and valve point loading effect (VPLE). The paper introduces a novel optimization technique, termed Gorilla Troop Optimization (GTO), inspired by the mimic’s behavior of gorilla troops, for solving the Economic Load Dispatch (ELD) Problem. The ELD Problem is assessed both with and without the valve-point effect, considering best, average, and worst fuel costs in dollars per hour ($/hr). The proposed GTO is applied to four different case studies to find the best global solution. The effectiveness of the GTO is evaluated using four distinct IEEE unit systems, including the IEEE 3-unit, 6-unit, 10-unit, and 40-unit test systems. From the simulation results, it has been realized that GTO show superior results as compared to other algorithms in terms of the total fuel cost minimization, convergence speed, and computation time to achieve the global optimal solution in all the case studies.