The integration of nonutility generation and spot prices within utility generation scheduling

As deregulation becomes a reality within the utility industry, nonutility generators (NUGs) become an ever growing segment of the generation mix. The wider penetration of NUGs will profoundly affect many aspects of utility planning and operations; among these is the economical optimization of scheduling generation within established reliability criteria. This paper describes a unit commitment technique incorporating NUGs, which are assumed to be operating under spot pricing rates, within a consistent reliability framework