Adequacy assessment of power system generation using a modified simple genetic algorithm

This paper presents a new method for the assessment of generation system reliability. The proposed method is based on a modified version of the simple genetic algorithm. In this method, a genetic algorithm is used, not for its traditional objective of optimization, but as a search tool to truncate the probability state space and to track the most probable failure states. The genetic algorithm stores system states, in which there is generation deficiency to supply system maximum load, in a state array. The given load pattern is then convoluted with the state array to obtain adequacy indices. A state array is also used to obtain useful information about the contribution of different states and generation unit combinations to the probability of system failure.