Implementation of evolutionary algorithms for solving economic load dispatch with practical constraints

Abstract

An interconnected electric power system is a complex network comprising of three functional systems namely the generation, transmission and distribution systems. These systems are connected by various components such as the transmission lines, transformers and circuit breakers. The primary goal of power system is to ensure the availability of electrical energy without interruption to every consumer connected to the system. To meet out the rapid increase in load and demand in electricity market, new generating units or transmission lines should be added to the system to avoid the overloading of existing system. Laying of new lines or installation of new generating stations imposes environment and economic constraints. Hence overloading of existing lines arises which results in increased investment for secure operation of the power system. Therefore it is evident that economy and security are competitive elements and the decision of the system operator is highly important during the planning and operation of the power system. The scheduling of the available generated power is an important part in planning and operation of the power system. Power system planning and operation specifies the safe operating level of the system under the specified condition with expected contingencies. The increased utilization of the existing power systems and contingency such as outage of line, generator or loss of a transformer pushes it into a highly stressed condition. Traditionally the electric power systems are operated in such a way that the total cost of fuel is minimized regardless of emission produced. With increased requirements for environmental production, an alternative strategies are required. newline