This paper discusses using real options to value power plants with unit commitment constraints over a short-term period. We formulate the problem as a multistage stochastic problem and propose a solution procedure that integrates forward-moving Monte Carlo simulation with backward-moving dynamic programming. We assume that the power plant operator maximizes expected profit by deciding in each h...

Unit commitment (UC) is a key operational problem in power systems used to determine an optimal daily or weekly generation commitment schedule. Incorporating uncertainty in this already difficult mixed-integer optimization problem introduces significant computational challenges. Most existing stochastic UC models consider either a two-stage decision structure, where the commitment schedule for ...