An implementation of harmony search algorithm to unit commitment problem

This paper presents a harmony search algorithm (HSA) to solve unit commitment (UC) problem. HSA was conceptualized using the musical process of searching for a perfect state of harmony, just as the optimization process seeks to find a global solution that is determined by an objective function. HSA can be used to optimize a non-convex optimization problem with both continuous and discrete variables. In this paper it is shown that HSA, as a heuristic optimization algorithm, may solve power system scheduling problem in a better fashion in comparison with the other evolutionary search algorithm that are implemented in such complicated issue. Two case studies are conducted to facilitate the effectiveness of the proposed method. One is a conventional 10-unit test system and its multiples while the other is a 26-unit system, both of which are with a 24-h scheduling horizon. Comparison of the obtained results with other approaches addressed in the literature shows the effectiveness and fastness of the proposed method.