Optimization method for reactive power planning by using a modified simple genetic algorithm

This paper presents an improved simple genetic algorithm developed for reactive power system planning. Successive linear programming is used to solve operational optimization sub-problems. A new population selection and generation method which makes the use of Benders' cut is presented in this paper. It is desirable to find the optimal solution in few iterations, especially in some test cases where the optimal results are expected to be obtained easily. However, the simple genetic algorithm has failed in finding the solution except through an extensive number of iterations. Different population generation and crossover methods are also tested and discussed. The method has been tested for 6 bus and 30 bus power systems to show its effectiveness. Further improvement for the method is also discussed.