Optimal hybrid PV/WT/FC sizing and distribution system reconfiguration using multi-objective artificial bee colony (MOABC) algorithm

In this paper, a novel multi-objective artificial bee colony algorithm is presented to solve the distribution system reconfiguration and hybrid (photo voltaic/wind turbine/fuel cell) energy system sizing. The purposes of the multi-objective optimization problem include the total power loss, the total electrical energy cost, and the total emission produced by hybrid energy system and the grid minimization, and the voltage stability index (VSI) of distribution system maximization. In the proposed algorithm, an external archive of non-dominated solutions is kept which is updated in each iteration. In addition, for preserving the diversity in the archive of Pareto solutions, the crowding distance operator is used. This algorithm is tested on 33 bus distribution systems and obtained non-dominated solutions are compared with the well-known NSGA-II and MOPSO methods. The solutions obtained by the MOABC algorithm have a good quality and a better diversity of the Pareto front compared with those of NSGA-II and MOPSO methods. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.