A fast and straightforward solver for generation allocation problem including losses using a Hopfield network

In this paper, a fast solver for generation allocation problem including transmission losses using a Hopfield Neural Network (HNN) approach is presented. The proposed HNN is distinguished by a direct computation method mapped to the generation allocation problem of thermal generators commonly known as economic dispatch (ED). The developed HNN employs a linear input-output model for the transfer function of neurons. Formulations for solving the ED problem are explored, through the application of these formulations; direct computation instead of iterations for solving the problem without losses becomes possible. Not like the usual Hopfield methods, which select the weighting factors of the energy function by trials, the proposed method determines the corresponding factors only by calculations. To include the transmission losses, a dichotomy method is combined to the Hopfield Neural Network iteratively. The effectiveness of the developed method is identified through its application to the 15-unit system. Computational results manifest that the method has a lot of excellent performances.