Unit commitment by genetic algorithm with specialized search operators

An approach for solving the unit commitment problem based on genetic algorithm with new search operators is presented. These operators, specific to the problem, are mutation with a probability of bit change depending on load demand, production and start-up costs of the generating units and transposition. The method incorporates time-dependent start-up costs, demand and reserve constraints, minimum up and down time constraints and units power generation limits. Repair algorithms or penalty factors in the objective function are applied to the infeasible solutions. Numerical results showed an improvement in the solution cost compared to the results obtained from genetic algorithm with standard operators and other techniques. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.