An Overview of the Probability-based Methods for Optimal Electrical Distribution System Reconfiguration

Optimal reconfiguration of electrical distribution systems is a research topic requiring solution methods able to handle irregular topologies and representations with discrete variables. The combinatorial optimisation problems are formulated as global optimisations handled with deterministic or probability-based methods. This paper presents an overview of the probability-based methods, recalling their underlying principles and focusing on some specific aspects such as the information coding, the treatment of the constraints (in particular to maintain the network radial during the solution process) and the stop criterion. The overview covers the solution of single-objective and multi-objective optimisation problems.