Optimal reactive power dispatch using ant colony optimization algorithm

This paper proposed a procedure to solve the optimal reactive power dispatch (ORPD) problem using ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm. The objective of the ORPD problem is to minimize the transmission power losses under control and dependent variable constraints. Proposed sensitivity parameters of reactive power at generation and switchable sources are derived based on a modified model of fast decoupled power flow. The proposed ACO-based algorithm is applied to the IEEE standard 14-bus, 30-bus systems, and a real power system at West Delta Network as a part of the Unified Egyptian Network. The obtained simulation results are compared with those of conventional linear programming, genetic algorithm, and particle swarm optimization technique. Simulation results show the capability of the proposed ACO-based algorithm for solving the ORPD problem, especially with increasing the system size.