Ideal Economic Dispatch of Thermal Power Units

Abstract

One of the main concerns posed to power generation operations is the problem of economic dispatch. This problem can be resolved by means of minimizing fuel costs and satisfying system constraints in order to generate optimal amounts of power from generating units in the system. The accuracy of this solution is dependent on fuel cost parameters within the generating units. A solution method for this economic dispatch problem for thermal generator units in power systems is presented in this paper. Input/output curves of the generators are considered as a quadratic function. In order to calculate the coefficient of these quadratic functions, a least-squares method is utilized. A case study is carried out considered the generators of the IEEE Reliability Test System (IEEE – RTS). The results garnered from this application are then presented. Some of the results are verified with corresponding literature, thus proving the performance of computational algorithms to be successful.