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Differential evolution (DE) is studied in detail for optimal reactive power flow (ORPF) problems. The concept, mechanism, and parameter setting of DE are discussed. Based on the IEEE 14-, 30- and 57-bus system test cases, DE is compared with some basic or improved evolutionary algorithms that have been applied to ORPF. It is found that DE is generally a good algorithm for ORPF and worthy of more attention. However, it is also found that DE requires relatively large populations to avoid premature convergence. The impact of this shortcoming is made clear in the IEEE 118-bus system test case. The effectiveness of parallel computing technology for speeding up the computation of DE-based ORPF is also analysed.