Home Generation Control Scheduling Network Apps Training Simulator Architecture Case Studies

Scheduling Applications

Short Term Load Forecasting | Unit Commitment | Transaction Evaluation | Energy Accounting
Neural Networks 7-Day Forecast NERC Policy 3 OASIS Interface

Scheduling Overview

Provide short-term decision making tools to determine the most economic scheduling of generation & interchange transactions. These programs have a significant impact on the cost of operations and electricity production.

STLF

Load Forecasting

±1.5%
Average Error

Unit Commitment

7-Day Schedule

$2-5M
Daily Savings

Transaction

Economy A/B

500+
Daily Transactions

ESA

Energy Accounting

Oracle
Database

Short Term Load Forecasting (STLF)

Accurate prediction of native load with lead times from 1 hour to 7 days ahead using Neural Networks and Pattern Matching.

Neural Network Method

Features:
  • Daily retraining of networks
  • Multiple sets for different day types
  • Weather variables: temp, humidity, cloud cover

Pattern Matching Method

Features:
  • Similar day search (last 2 months)
  • Year-over-year comparison
  • Midnight smoothing capability

Weather Integration

Weather Service Providers
Automated
Manual Entry Available

Forecast Accuracy

Temperature Humidity Wind Speed Cloud Cover
Weekday Weekend Holiday
1-Hour Ahead 24-Hour 7-Day

Unit Commitment

Determines optimal schedules for bringing generating units on-line or off-line to minimize overall system operating cost.

Optimization Problem

Minimize Σ(FuelCost + StartCost + ShutdownCost)
Subject to:
- Load Balance: ΣPi = Pload + Plosses
- Reserve Requirements
- Unit Min/Max Limits
- Min Up/Down Times
- Ramp Rate Limits

Solution Method

Dynamic Programming Algorithm

7-day study period | Hourly resolution | Multi-user capability

95% Optimality

Unit Commitment Schedule

Constraints

  • Startup cost (fixed/polynomial)
  • Shutdown cost
  • Minimum uptime (2-8 hours)
  • Minimum downtime (1-4 hours)
  • Prohibited zones

Unit Types

  • Thermal Units
  • Hydro Units
  • Combined Cycle
  • Jointly Owned Units

System Constraints

  • Load requirement
  • Reserve requirement
  • Fuel constraints
  • Emission limits

Transaction Evaluation

Economy A

Evaluate proposed transactions with unit status unchanged

  • Starts from valid UC solution
  • Real-time data initialization
  • No recommitment

Economy B

Full unit commitment study with proposed transaction

  • Fixed or dispatchable purchase
  • Capacity, fixed cost, incremental cost
  • Full recommitment

Case Comparison

Side-by-side comparison with significant deviation limits

After-the-Fact Evaluation

Compare Current Operating Plan vs Actual vs Ideal

Recosting

Recalculate costs for user-defined changes

Energy Scheduling & Accounting (ESA)

Oracle-Based Architecture

Oracle RDBMS
Long-term data retention
ODBC Interface
Excel, Access integration

Energy Accounting

  • Fast, accurate calculations
  • On-line update of accounts
  • User-defined reports
  • Graphical displays

Interchange Scheduling

TypeDescription
EnergyMW transactions
WheelingThrough transactions
ReserveReserve sharing
JOUJointly Owned Units

Transaction Information Management (TIM)

NERC Policy 3 Compliant

Electronic Tagging (Etag 1.7)

OATI WebData Interface

Automated OASIS Interface

For Transmission Providers

  • Calculate & upload TTC/ATC
  • Download transmission reservations
  • Post secondary capacity for resale

For Transmission Customers

  • Download ATC every 5 minutes
  • View pricing and discounts
  • Check curtailment status
Firewall Protection
OASIS Node
Oracle RDBMS
EMS Applications
ATC/TTC Calculation
Transmission Reservations
Curtailment Options
Redispatch Options
Audit Logs
Historical Information

Three-Tier Architecture

GUI Layer
RS User Interface
GUI Builder
Database Xcessory
Application Layer
RS EXECUTABLE
RDBSHL
Multiple Instances
Database Layer
RS Tables
Oracle RDBMS
SQL Access

Standard SQL access for easy data sharing across corporate LAN