Author(s): Dirk Schwanenberg; Min Xu; Christopher Allen; Steve Barton; Divas Karimanzira
Linked Author(s): Dirk Schwanenberg, Min Xu
Keywords: Hydro power; Short-term optimization; Reservoir systems; Meteorological uncertainty
Abstract: We focus on the short-term optimization of large-scale hydropower systems with a mixture of storage reservoirs and run-of-the-river projects. If sufficient operational flexibility is available within the operational constraints, the system is capable of balancing the transmission network by compensating for load fluctuations and power production of other renewables such as solar and wind resources. The proposed optimization model is based on a nonlinear system representation of the hydropower system for forecasting state trajectories over a forecast horizon in combination with nonlinear programming for computing optimal release trajectories for specific hydropower projects. We present the application of a deterministic version of the approach to the short-term management of the Federal Columbia River Power System in the US Pacific Northwest and outline ongoing work on its extension to a multi-stage stochastic optimization based on scenario trees for explicitly representing the meteorological system uncertainty.
Year: 2013