Multi-Agent-Based Decomposition and Coordination for Solving Non-Convex Constrained Optimization in Cogeneration System with Transmission Loss

Combined Power and Heat Economic Dispatch (CHPED) is a typical non-convex constrained optimization problem full of challenges while considering its completed constraints such as non-convex decision space, coupling decision variables, the nested equality constraint associated with transmission loss (i.e., based on the Kron formula), etc. This paper proposes an approach equipped with decomposition and coordination strategies to explore the global optimum of the CHPED-based COP by decomposing it into smaller, more manageable subproblems, each of which is assigned to the corresponding agent for tackling the coupling constraint, non-convex search and nested equality constraints, respectively. Coordination between all agents provides a more efficient way to explore the global optimum. The results of the simulation, based on a typical CHPED COP, have demonstrated that the optimal solution, with its corresponding accurate transmission loss, outperforms the state-of-the-art, which can also be used as a comparison reference for testing other methods.