Integer Programming Application for Planning of Hydropower Production

Abstract

This paper describes a mixed integer programming model developed for the water management of Southern California Edison's Big Creek hydroelectric facility. It is an application paper—a review of past and present practice of an electric utility company engaged in the management of California's water resources. The model is deterministic with monthly decision variables and annual optimization horizons. The objective is the maximization of the total value of the produced energy. The model is primarily intended for long‐term planning purposes. However, the addition of a new power plant in 1987 reduced the guidance value of the recorded pattern of historical operations that have been improved based on dispatchers' experience over a long period of time. Consequently, the model is found to be very useful in determining short‐term (annual or semiannual) operating policies. Its principal output is a water‐release policy during on‐ and off‐peak periods for 12 consecutive months.