A Heuristic algorithm to solve the unit commitment problem for real-life large-scale power systems

One of the main needs that power system operators around the world have is to solve complex Unit Commitment models for large-scale power systems in an acceptable computation time. This Paper presents an alternative Heuristic algorithm that successfully addresses this need. The Heuristic algorithm makes use of various optimization techniques such as Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP), Quadratic Programming (QP), Quadratically Constrained Programming (QCP), and Dynamic Programming (DP). CPLEX 12.2 is used as the main optimization engine for MILP, QP, and QCP. DP is an in-house algorithm used to obtain the commitment of Combined Cycle Plants (CCPs) when represented with the component-based model. This Heuristic algorithm combines the global optimality capabilities of MI (L) P formulations with the highly detailed models available for CCPs using LR-DP formulations. The Heuristic algorithm introduced in this Paper is capable of solving up to 1-week scenarios with a 1-hour time window for the complex Mexican Power System. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.