A Method for Hydropower System Peak Operation Relying on the Load Demands of Provincial Power Grid

The lack of capacity to respond to peaking has appeared in most provincial power grids of China. Hydropower, regarded as one of ideal power sources for shaving peak and adjusting frequency, plays a significant role in the operation of power grids in China. In this paper, a classified load allocation model for hydropower stations has been proposed and the load demands, regulation capacity and its spatial position are considered. The objective is to minimize the variance of remaining load, subjected to generation bounds, maximum ramp power generation constraints and forbidden zone restrictions. The model is solved by different load-shedding methods depending on the classification of the stations. The proposed model and method have been applied to the Guizhou Power Grid to make day-ahead quarter-hourly power generation schedule. The simulation results show that the method can provide rational power generation schedules responding to the peak loads. Furthermore, the advantages of the proposed method are confirmed by the comparison with the observed values.