IMPROVEMENT OF THE BAT ALGORITHM USING VARIABLE NEIGHBORHOOD SEARCH APPLIED TO THE METER ALLOCATION PROBLEM

This article implements the optimization techniques, Bat Algorithm (BA) and Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) to solve the problem of optimal allocation of meters called PMUs in power grids. The goal is to ensure complete observability of the entire power grid with fewer PMUs. The mathematical model is based on a hedging model widely used in solving optimization problems. BA was implemented to perform a global exploration in the solutions space and explore around the vicinity of the solutions found by BA by applying VNS. The methodology was validated in several electrical networks found in the literature and compared with other optimization techniques.