A Hybrid Multi-Criteria Methodology for Solving the Sustainable Dispatch Problem

Abstract

Wind energy is becoming an increasingly substantial component of many nations’ energy portfolios. The intermittent nature of wind energy is traded off in a multi-objective sense against its environmental benefits when compared to conventional thermal energy sources. This gives rise to the multi-criteria sustainable dispatch problem considered in this paper. A relevant multi-objective model is formulated considering both environmental and economic criteria as well as ensuring adequate production levels. The techniques of weighted goal programming (WGP) and the progressive bounded constraint method (PBC) are combined in a novel manner in order to overcome computational challenges associated with the sinusoidal nature of the model. This allows the generation of a representative set of Pareto efficient solutions. The proposed methodology is demonstrated on a test set of relevant examples, and conclusions are drawn from both methodological and application perspectives. The results provide a quantification of the economic and environmental benefits of added wind power to a solely thermal system. However, a trade-off between the levels of economic versus environmental benefits gained is also demonstrated.

Modified Social Group Optimization to Solve the Problem of Economic Emission Dispatch with the Incorporation of Wind Power

“…where R = (v r − v in )/v in . Given relation (6) and the Weibull distribution of the wind speed, the event probabilities W = 0 and W = PWr are calculated using relations [4]:…”

“…), as they had a very large share of the power system structure. However, last year's warnings about the environmental impact of these types of power plants led to an increased use of both high-efficiency co-generation units (CU) (that simultaneously produce both electricity and heat), and renewable energy power generation systems (RESPSs) to steer the electricity generation sector towards sustainable development [6,7]. The EED problem that includes CU aims at the optimal scheduling (in terms of cost and emissions) of power-only units, heat-only units, and their combination: co-generation units [8].…”

“…Over the time, when trying to solve the EED problem, various techniques have been used to optimally program the units of the thermal-wind systems. Thus, in [6], the techniques of weighted goal programming and the progressive bounded constraint method are combined to generate a set of Pareto solutions that are efficient in the cost-emission space, and then extract the best compromise solution. For instance, four cases are analyzed to quantify and demonstrate the benefits of including wind units in the structure of a power system comprising only thermal units.…”

Sustainability as a Multi-Criteria Concept: New Developments and Applications

“…In this way, several alternatives are evaluated by resorting to the Preference Ranking Organisation Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) method within a fuzzy context. The second paper in this block, by dos Santos Martin et al [10], deals with the determination of the optimal combination of wind and thermal energy units. The authors apply a hybrid approach combining goal programming with the progressive bound constraint method.…”