International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering 

About: International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering is an academic journal published by Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science (IAES). The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Computer science & Electric power system. It has an ISSN identifier of 2088-8708. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 4900 publications have been published receiving 33064 citations.

Optimization of Distribution Network Configuration for Loss Reduction Using Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm

Abstract: Network reconfiguration in distribution system is realized by changing the status of sectionalizing switches to reduce the power loss in the system. This paper presents a new method which applies an artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC) for determining the sectionalizing switch to be operated in order to solve the distribution system loss minimization problem. The ABC algorithm is a new population based metaheuristic approach inspired by intelligent foraging behavior of honeybee swarm. The advantage of ABC algorithm is that it does not require external parameters such as cross over rate and mutation rate as in case of genetic algorithm and differential evolution and it is hard to determine these parameters in prior. The other advantage is that the global search ability in the algorithm is implemented by introducing neighborhood source production mechanism which is a similar to mutation process. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm, computer simulations are carried out on 14, 33, and 119-bus systems and compared with different approaches available in the literature. The proposed method has outperformed the other methods in terms of the quality of solution and computational efficiency. Keywords—Distribution system, Network reconfiguration, Loss reduction, Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm.

Solar Tracking System: More Efficient Use of Solar Panels

Abstract: This paper shows the potential system benefits of simple tracking solar system using a stepper motor and light sensor. This method is increasing power collection efficiency by developing a device that tracks the sun to keep the panel at a right angle to its rays. A solar tracking system is designed, implemented and experimentally tested. The design details and the experimental results are shown. XTRACTING useable electricity from the sun was made possible by the discovery of the photoelectric mechanism and subsequent development of the solar cell - a semi- conductive material that converts visible light into a direct current. By using solar arrays, a series of solar cells electrically connected, a DC voltage is generated which can be physically used on a load. Solar arrays or panels are being used increasingly as efficiencies reach higher levels, and are especially popular in remote areas where placement of electricity lines is not economically viable. This alternative power source is continuously achieving greater popularity especially since the realisation of fossil fuel's shortcomings. Renewable energy in the form of electricity has been in use to some degree as long as 75 or 100 years ago. Sources such as Solar, Wind, Hydro and Geo- thermal have all been utilised with varying levels of success. The most widely used are hydro and wind power, with solar power being moderately used worldwide. This can be attributed to the relatively high cost of solar cells and their low conversion efficiency. Solar power is being heavily researched, and solar energy costs have now reached within a few cents per kW/h of other forms of electricity generation, and will drop further with new technologies such as titanium- oxide cells. With a peak laboratory efficiency of 32% and average efficiency of 15-20% (1-4) , it is necessary to recover as much energy as possible from a solar power system. This includes reducing inverter losses, storage losses, and light gathering losses. Light gathering is dependent on the angle of incidence of the light source providing power (i.e. the sun) to the solar cell's surface, and the closer to perpendicular, the greater the power (1-7). If a flat solar panel is mounted on

Application of Artificial Neural Networks for Temperature Forecasting

Abstract: In this paper, the application of neural networks to study the design of short-term temperature forecasting (STTF) Systems for Kermanshah city, west of Iran was explored. One important architecture of neural networks named Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) to model STTF systems is used. Our study based on MLP was trained and tested using ten years (1996-2006) meteorological data. The results show that MLP network has the minimum forecasting error and can be considered as a good method to model the STTF systems. Keywords—Artificial neural networks, Forecasting, Weather, Multi-layer perceptron.