Optimal operation of thermal units using PV/Wind energy and pumped hydro storage generation system: Case study [articol]

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to propose a methodology for solving generation planning problem for thermal units integrated with solar, wind power systems and Pumped Hydro Energy System in Niamey (capital of Niger) city power grid. The Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) are included in this model due to their free and available sources, positive effect on environment, and their contribution in reducing the cost of running the thermal units. The system comprises of conventional sources (eight thermal units), Photovoltaic (PV) system, Wind-Turbine Generators (WTGs) and Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) as power sources for ensuring the availability of the energy needed by the customers. The generation planning known as Unit Commitment (UC) is solved using Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP). This optimization technique considered here, is utilized to minimize the operational costs which include the fuel cost and the Start Up Cost (SUC) of the thermal units, shut-down cost of each thermal unit is taken as zero. The simulation results obtained using MATLAB environment, reveal the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed scheme.