A compact aggregated unit model for short-term hydro power generation scheduling based on optimal piecewise approximation

This paper presents a compact aggregated unit model (CAUM) for short-term hydro power generation scheduling. The CAUM, which is obtained based on optimal piecewise linear approximation, represents the relationship between the maximum power generation level of the plant, total water discharge and the average storage of the reservoir. Different from the real-time optimal dispatch of the hydropower system, the CAUM is an off-line optimization. Meanwhile, the aggregation of the individual unit simplifies the short-term hydro power generation scheduling since all the individual unit related constraints are removed. By using the CAUM, the optimal power generation level can be rapidly determined and the short-term hydro power generation scheduling would be greatly simplified. Numerical testing results demonstrate that the method is effective.