Application of vector immune system to distribution network reconfiguration

Distributed energy generation facilities, often based on renewable energy sources, have changed the classical management of Distribution Networks. Optimisation tools are useful to change the grid configuration improving its capability and exploiting an optimal flow of power within the network. There are different criteria for the evaluation of the network performance like losses, voltage profile, and reliability indicators that are often in contrast, requiring thus a multiobjective optimisation. Network reconfiguration by changing its topology is a technique that leads to a combinatorial formulation. The Vector Immune System algorithm can be adapted to deal with this issue and has been applied to the definition of the network reconfiguration with original implementations for the generation of the first population and for the mutation operator. Results on an industrial example are presented.