Weighted sum method based multi-objective optimal power flow considering various objectives: an application of whale optimization algorithm

Nowadays, multi-objective optimization plays a vital role in solving optimal power flow problems. Multi-objective optimal power flow (MOOPF) is a nonlinear optimization problem aimed at optimizing control variables while balancing multiple objective functions and satisfying both equality and inequality constraints and addresses this by integrating two more objectives into a single objective using a weighting factor. In this paper this weighted sum type multi-objective technique has been used to formulate the objective function. The whale optimization algorithm (WOA) has been used to reduce the cost, emission, losses, and voltage stability by considering various multi objectives like fuel cost along with emission, fuel cost with losses, fuel cost with voltage stability, fuel cost with voltage deviation and finally fuel cost with emission, losses, voltage deviation. In this paper, the IEEE 30 bus structure has been used to analyze the effect of WOA on the improvement of system performance. Obtained results with WOA have been compared with other optimization techniques like ensemble constraint handling technique with differential evolution (ECHT-DE), the superiority of feasible differential evolution (SF-DE), moth swarm algorithm (MSA), and moth-flame optimization (MFO), available in the literature.