Obtaining the Optimal Short-term Hydrothermal Coordination Scheduling: a Stochastic View Point

In this document we develop a non-linear, stochastic and integer model for the problem of determining the optimal hourly schedule of power generation in a hydrothermal power system. We consider a power generation system comprising thermal and hydro units and the problem concerns the scheduling of operation levels for all power units and considering the hydro constrains, such that the operation costs over the time horizon are minimal. The level of customer service equation is introduced and the power balance constraint, total water discharge constraint, reservoir volume limits and constraints on the operation limits of the hydrothermal generator and the thermal generator are fully accounted for. The proposed problem is illustrated and tested on two model systems using a random search technique and genetic algorithm. We report the practical and theoretical results.