Environmentally constrained electric power dispatch with genetic algorithms

A two-phase problem structure is proposed in this paper to both minimize the cost and reduce the emission of SO₂ in an electric power system. The novel structure tends reducing plant level actions, such as equipment changes, by employing fuel switching as well as a dispatch technique to maximize the emission reduction capacity. To enhance the reliability and robustness of the solution method, a search technique based on genetic algorithms is proposed to tackle the multi-objective problem both effectively and efficiently