Efficient evolutionary strategy optimisation procedure to solve the nonconvex economic dispatch problem with generator constraints

A simple and efficient algorithm based on evolutionary strategies is proposed for the solution of the economic dispatch (ED) problem with noncontinuous and nonsmooth/nonconvex cost functions and with generator constraints being considered. The proposed method solves both, the ED problem with nonconvex/nonsmooth cost functions due to valve-point loading and the ED problem that takes into account nonlinear generator characteristics such as ramp-rate limits and prohibited operating zones in the power system operation. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated using six different test systems and the performance is compared with other relevant methods reported in the literature. In all cases, the proposed algorithm either matches or outperforms the behaviour reported for the existing algorithms. This level of performance is obtained despite the simplicity of the approach.