Reservoir optimization, is one of recent problems, which has been researched by several methods such as Linear Programming (LP), Non-linear Programming (NLP), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Dynamic Programming (DP). Differential Evolution (DE), a method in GA group, is recently applied in many fields, especially water management. This method is an improved variant of GA to converge and reach to the optimal solution faster than the traditional GA. It is also capable to apply for a wide range space, to a problem with complex, discontinuous, undifferential optimal function. Furthermore, this method does not requirethe gradient information of the space but easily find the global solution by asimple algorithm. In this paper, we introduce DE, compare to LP which was considered mathematically decades ago to prove DE's accuracy, then apply DE to Pleikrong, a reservoir in Vietnam, then discuss about the results.

Differential Evolution (DE) and Dynamic Programming (DP) are important optimal methods in reservoir regulation. In the previous work [1], we presented the outline of DE, and applied it into Pleikrong reservoir, a big one in the Highland of Vietnam for dry season of 2010 year. Continuing from that, in this work, we present the outline of DP and then again, apply it to Pleikrong reservoir; and also apply it to Ialy, the biggest reservoir in Sesan cascade in the Highland of Vietnam; to reach optimal regulation for the maximum power production in the dry season of two years: 2010 and 2012. The results getting from DP are compared to the results by using DE. The results by these two methods have the same trend of releases which is storing the water at the beginning and significantly releasing at the end of the calculation time.