Comparison of multiobjective harmony search, cuckoo search and bat-inspired algorithms for renewable distributed generation placement

Abstract

Electric power losses have a significant impact on the total costs of distribution networks. The use of renewable energy sources is a major alternative to improve power losses and costs, although other important issues are also enhanced such as voltage magnitudes and network congestion. However, determining the best location and size of renewable energy generators can be sometimes a challenging task due to a large number of possible combinations in the search space. Furthermore, the multiobjective functions increase the complexity of the problem and metaheuristics are preferred to find solutions in a relatively short time. This paper evaluates the performance of the cuckoo search (CS), harmony search (HS), and bat-inspired (BA) algorithms for the location and size of renewable distributed generation (RDG) in radial distribution networks using a multiobjective function defined as minimizing the energy losses and the RDG costs. The metaheuristic algorithms were programmed in Matlab and tested using the 33-node radial distribution network. The three algorithms obtained similar results for the two objectives evaluated, finding points close to the best solutions in the Pareto front. Comparisons showed that the CS obtained the minimum results for most points evaluated, but the BA and the HS were close to the best solution.