Optimal reactive power flow using non dominated sorting multi objective gravitational search algorithm

This paper presents application of non dominated sorting multi objective gravitational search algorithm (NSMOGSA) for solving optimal reactive power flow (ORPF) problems. ORPF problem is formulated as a non-linear constrained multi-objective optimization problem where different objectives and various constraints have been considered into the formulation. Fast elitist non-dominated sorting and crowding distance have been used to locate and manage the Pareto optimal front. An external archive of the Pareto optimal solutions are also used to provide some elitism. To show the efficacy of the proposed algorithm, it has been tested on a standard IEEE 30-bus system with three different individual objectives that reflect minimization of active power loss, bus voltage deviation and enhancement of voltage stability. The performance of NSMOGSA is compared with the results found by other meta-heuristic techniques reported in the recent literature. Numerical results demonstrate the tangible superiority of the proposed method in achieving the optimum ORPF solution.