Techno-economic and environmental evaluation of economic load dispatch of Nigerian power system using zebra optimization algorithm (ZOA)

Power systems in developing countries, such as Nigeria continue to face gross inefficiencies in generation dispatch, leading to elevated operational costs, substantial transmission and distribution losses, and an over-reliance on fossil fuel-based generators. This work therefore proposes the techno-economic and environmental assessment of an optimal economic load dispatch in Nigerian power system, with a focus on integrating renewable energy sources. A multi-objective optimization model for ELD that integrates renewable energy sources is formulated in this study to minimize the generation cost, power losses and greenhouse gases emissions and maximize the renewable energy utilization. The formulated objective is optimized using Zebra Optimization Algorithm (ZOA) and its results are compared with the results obtained using Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA). The proposed methodology is implemented on the practical Nigerian 28 bus transmission system and simulated using MATLAB R2021a. The simulation results show that, the proposed ZOA-based ELD yields reductions of 95.41%, 95.13%, and 96.03% in total transmission losses, generation cost, and greenhouse gas emissions, respectively, relative to the base case. Meanwhile, the WOA-based ELD achieve corresponding reductions of 94.76%, 91.91%, and 89.55%. The outcome of this research demonstrates the superior performance, and optimization capability of the proposed ZOA-based ELD approach in enhancing the techno-economic and environmental efficiency of a transmission network. The findings of this study offer actionable insights for grid operators and energy stakeholders, facilitating the adoption of advanced dispatch strategies and renewable energy technologies.