A hybrid biased random key genetic algorithm approach for the unit commitment problem

Abstract : This work proposes a hybrid genetic algorithm (GA) to address the unit commitment (UC) problem. In the UC problem, the goal is to schedule a subset of a given group of electrical power generating units and also to determine their production output in order to meet energy demands at minimum cost. In addition, the solution must satisfy a set of technological and operational constraints. The algorithm developed is a hybrid biased random key genetic algorithm (HBRKGA). It uses random keys to encode the solutions and introduces bias both in the parent selection procedure and in the crossover strategy. To intensify the search close to good solutions, the GA is hybridized with local search. Tests have been performed on benchmark large-scale power systems. The computational results demonstrate that the HBRKGA is effective and efficient. In addition, it is also shown that it improves the solutions obtained by current state-of-the-art methodologies.