A new hybrid optimization algorithm for solving economic load dispatch problem with valve-point effect

This paper presents an efficient approach for solving the economic load dispatch (ELD) problem with valve-point effect using a new hybrid optimization algorithm. The main aim for solving ELD problem is to schedule the output of the committed generating units in order to meet the system load under various operating constraints. Since ELD is a non-linear and non-convex problem, stochastic search algorithms are considered as appropriate solutions. In this paper, the proposed new hybrid optimization algorithm is based on Clonal Selection Algorithm (CSA) that uses the positive features of two other optimization techniques, Gases Brownian Motion Optimization (GBMO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), for local search and improving the quality of initial population, respectively. To validate the efficiency of the proposed hybrid method, termed as PG-Clonal in this paper, we tested it on two systems considering different constraints, and the obtained results are compared with the results of existing stochastic search algorithms available in the literature. The test results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed new hybrid PG-Clonal method in solving the ELD problem efficiently.