Artificial bee colony algorithm for solving economic dispatch problems with non-convex cost functions

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to propose an efficient and reliable algorithm to solve the economic dispatch (ED) problem with non-convex cost functions in power systems, using artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm. For techno-economic reasons along with the high computation time, the ED problem has undergone a significant amount of research over the last years, in an effort to find the more suitable optimisation algorithm which ensures a balance between the optimal economic contribution of each generating unit outputs and the required computation time. The proposed algorithm is applied to different non-convex ED problems, including prohibited operating zone (POZ) with ramp rate limits, valve point effects with consideration of the transmission network losses and the gaseous emission of the generating units. Four different test systems consisting 6, 10, 15, and 20 generating units are used to validate the consistency of the proposed algorithm to detect the optimal solution for a given objective. The simulation results clearly indicate that the ABC algorithm provides better results in term of quality solution and convergence speed compared to those available in the literature.