An intelligent framework to solve the non-convex economic dispatch problem with practical limitations

In this paper, a realistic formulation for the non-convex economic dispatch problem is proposed. It considers different practical constraints including ramp rate limits, valve loading effect, prohibited operating zones, spinning reserve and multi-fuel options. In this regard, a new optimization method based on the bat algorithm is proposed to solve the problem. Meanwhile, because the proposed problem is complex, nonlinear, and constrained, a new self-adaptive modification method, called modified BA or shortly MBA, is proposed. The satisfying performance of the proposed optimization method is examined using IEEE 15-unit, 40-unit and 100-unit test systems. Comparative studies demonstrate the consistent superiority of the proposed method over other alternative optimization techniques widely used in the literature for solving the economic dispatch problem.