Cuckoo optimization algorithm with penalty function for combined heat and power economic dispatch problem

•Combined heat and power economic dispatch problem was investigated.•Cuckoo optimization algorithm was powered by a penalty function to solve the problem.•Two case studies were presented and solved using the proposed approach.•The results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach over other works.

The CHPED (combined heat and power economic dispatch) is a complex engineering optimization problem. The goal is to minimize the system production costs by taking into consideration different kind of constraints. This research investigates the first implementation of a prevailing bio-inspired metaheuristic called the cuckoo optimization algorithm which is powered by a penalty function (PFCOA) for solving the CHPED problem. Two case studies of the CHPED are presented and the results are compared to those obtained by several other optimization techniques applied in the literature. It has been proven that the implemented PFCOA is superior.