Parallel Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm and Its Application in the Optimal Operation of Cascade Reservoirs in Yalong River

According to the characteristics of optimal operation of cascade hydropower stations, an improved method is presented to solve the multi-stage optimum mathematics model, namely the coarse grain parallel particle swarm optimization (PPSO) algorithm. In order to test its performance, two algorithms are applied to optimal operation of cascade reservoirs in Yalong River, including particle swarm optimization (PSO). The comparison indicated that the results obtained by the PPSO have faster calculation speed and higher accuracy of solution than PSO, moreover, the PPSO can better improve the convergence ability of PSO.