Coordinated active-reactive power optimisation of a distribution system based on a hyper-heuristic algorithm

Abstract As an important part of the power system, the effective operation of the distribution system is essential to guarantee the security and stability of the whole power grid, and the coordination and optimisation between active and reactive power positively influence the efficiency and stability of the distribution system. For the problem of voltage failure in the distribution system, an objective function considering network loss and node voltage offset is established. In this paper, the objective function is optimised by regulating the machine-end voltage of the generator, the taps of the on-load regulator transformer, and the reactive power compensation device. This paper applies a hyper-heuristic algorithm to solve the active, reactive power coordination optimisation problem. Thompson sampling is used as a high-level strategy to improve the performance of the algorithm. Gaussian distribution generating random perturbation and Cauchy variation are added to the algorithm to improve the algorithm’s local search ability and avoid falling into local optimum, respectively. Finally, the IEEE-30 example is used for validation. The results show that the algorithm can effectively reduce network losses and improve node voltage levels, which is suitable for solving such optimisation problems.