Hydro Scheduling Optimization Considering the Impact on Market Prices and Head Drop Using the linprog Function of MATLAB (R)

Abstract

This paper describes an enhanced model for the Short Term Hydro Scheduling Problem, HSP, that includes the impact of operation decisions on the market prices and the possibility of adjusting the tailwater level and the generation and pumping efficiencies as a function of the flow. The solution approach uses an iterative procedure that solves in each iteration a linearized HSP problem using the linprog function of the MATLAB (R) Optimization Toolbox and that updates the value of the head to be used in the next iteration. The paper also includes results from a realistic Case Study based on the cascade of 9 hydro stations (4 of them with pumping) installed in the Portuguese section of the Douro River.