Differential Evolution-Based Weighted Least Squares State Estimation with Phasor Measurement Units

Differential Evolution (DE) is a very simple population-based evolutionary computation technique used for solving complex optimization problems. This technique is well-suited for many problems in the power systems area, including state estimation. This paper presents an overview of the Weighted Least Squares State Estimation Problem and it modification to incorporate the information provided by the phasor measurement units. It also presents a comprehensive description of the Differential Evolution optimization algorithm. A methodology for solving the power system state estimation problem, based on the Differential Evolution technique, is presented. The applicability of the proposed method is validated through a case study.