Biogeography-based optimization and the solution of the power flow problem

Biogeography-based optimization (BBO) is a novel evolutionary algorithm that is based on the mathematics of biogeography. Biogeography is the study of the geographical distribution of biological organisms. In the BBO model, problem solutions are represented as islands, and the sharing of features between solutions is represented as immigration and emigration between the islands. This paper presents an application of the BBO algorithm to the power flow problem for an IEEE 30-bus test case system. The BBO solution is compared with the solution of the same problem using a genetic algorithm (GA). The results of Monte Carlo simulations indicate that the BBO algorithm consistently performs better than the GA in determining an optimal solution to the power flow problem.