Optimal power flow with emission and non-smooth cost functions using backtracking search optimization algorithm

•Backtracking Search Optimization Algorithm (BSA) is proposed to solve OPF problems.•Several case studies have been investigated.•The performances of BSA are evaluated using statistical analysis and compared with other algorithms.•BSA gives excellent results compared with other well-known algorithms. Economic operation of electric energy generating systems is one of the prevailing problems in energy systems. In this paper, a new method called the Backtracking Search Optimization Algorithm (BSA) is proposed for solving the optimal power flow problem. This method is tested for 16 different cases on the IEEE 30-bus, IEEE 57-bus, and IEEE 118-bus test systems. In addition to the traditional generating fuel cost, multi-fuels options, valve-point effect and other complexities have been considered. Furthermore, different objectives such as voltage profile improvement, voltage stability enhancement and emission reduction are considered. The obtained results are compared with those obtained using some well-known optimization algorithms. This comparison highlights the effectiveness of the BSA method for solving different OPF problems with complicated and non-smooth objective functions.