Application of evolutionary programming to optimal operational strategy cogeneration system under timeof-use rates

This paper presents the application of Evolutionary Programming (EP) to optimal operational strategy of cogeneration systems under Time-of-Use (TOU) rate. The fuel consumption and steam generation will first be measured and the Input-Output (I/O) curve derived using the regression method. The operational model developed also considers the connection of the cogeneration system with the utility company in terms of TOU rate and various fuel consumptions. EP was adopted to decide the optimal fuel dispatch, steam output of boiler, and generation output subjective to satisfying all the operation constraints. The Newton-Raphson based method has been implemented to show that EP does have the tendency of getting the global optimum. The proposed methodology could provide a practical model for both the utility company and the cogeneration industry to follow.