Optimal hydropower generation scheduling for a cascade

This paper presents a method for short-term generation scheduling in a multiple-reservoir river system. The reservoir dynamics are described using the network flow balance equations, taking into account the time delays of water travelling from one reservoir to the next. The generating characteristics of a hydropower plant are represented by a linear model which depends upon the number of generators committed. Nonlinear head effects on system generation are included. Since the power function depends on the number of generators committed at any given time, we obtain a mixed integer–real LP problem. This is solved by using MINOS, a well developed LP package for real large-scale mathematical programming problems, together with a specially designed heuristic scheme for finding the integer number of generators committed in a plant at a particular time step. The scheme is evaluated by examining several case studies.