A comparative study of multi-objective optimization methods for power distribution system reconfiguration

The aim of this paper is to assess the performance of several multi-objective optimization techniques using a modified version of the edge window decoding technique, used in telecommunication networks, but adapted for representing power distribution systems during reconfiguration. Thus, the encoding scheme together with efficient genetic operators were embedded in several optimization techniques analyzed, in order to identify a set of network topologies that optimize a set of objective functions, while all the electrical system constraints are satisfied. All the objective functions are related to the distribution system operational performance. The proposed methodology was validated and tested in two well-known distribution system. The obtained results by the different methods are compared, and they demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.