SYSTEMS APPROACH TO GENERATION PLANNING

Abstract

Capacity expansion planning for electricity generation is a complex one due the fact that the output required oo3h6ists of two interrelated products I power' and, ' Energy' and the various types of generation satisfying the demand have different oharac-teristics is so far as the above referred two products are concerned Also addition of any new capacity affects the operation ,mode of the existing system as a whole. Hence the problem for planning for capacity expansion has to be considered for the complete system in its entirely. A review has been carried out Into the work done in capacity expansion in general and electrical generation in particular, as also the various methods suggested for solution. The capacity expansion planning model for an electric generation system is presented, the formulation being done as a Mixed Integer Programming problem. The physical situation considered consists of various hydropower projects with different scales of development possible, Coal based thermal station„ nuclear plants, gas fired plants and pumped storage schemes. The programming problem is formulated to find an optimal mix of these alternatives to minimise the present value of the investment and operation costs subject to various operational and institutional. constraints. Discrete size plant addition have been taken into consideration so that the economy of scale involved in the various types of generation is accounted for. The formulation takes into account any type of cost function involved.