Optimal power flow with SVC devices by using the artificial bee colony algorithm

In this paper a simple and efficient heuristic search method based on the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is presented and used for the optimal power flow (OPF) problem in power systems with static VAR compensator (SVC) devices. The total generation cost of a power system with SVC devices (which improve the voltage stability at load buses) is optimally minimized with the use of ABC. The ABC, which is based on the foraging behavior of honey bees searching for the best food source, is a recently proposed optimization algorithm. The performance of the presented ABC algorithm was tested and verified on the IEEE 11-bus and IEEE 30-bus power systems by comparing it with several other optimization methods. Furthermore, ABC is used not only for optimizing the total generation cost and active power loss, but also for improving the voltage stability of the 22-bus power system in Turkey. Our results illustrate that ABC can successfully be used to solve nonlinear problems related to power systems.