Particle Swarm Optimization for Optimal Operational Planning of Energy Plants

In this chapter, three PSO based methods: Original PSO, Evolutionary PSO, and Adaptive PSO are compared for optimal operational planning problems of energy plants, which are formulated as Mixed-Intger Nonlinear Problems (MINLPs). The three methods are compared using typical energy plant operational planning problems. We have been developed an optimal operational planning and control system of energy plants using PSO (called FeTOP). FeTOP has been actually introduced and operated at three factories of one of the automobile company in Japan and realized 10% energy reduction compared with operators’ operation.